Angelinus
by Les Dowich
Summary: Book 5 in the Snape Cycle. When Severus inherits the guardianship of a cousin’s twins, it sets off a chain of events that drag the Lupin-Snapes, Malfoys, Potters and Weasleys into a head-on clash with fanatics, drug dealers and babysitters.
1. Chapter 1

Angelinus

Angelinus

By

Les Dowich

Email: rawtext pacific .net .au

Synopsis

When Severus inherits the guardianship of a cousin's twins, it sets off a chain of events that drag the Lupin-Snapes, Malfoys, Potters and Weasleys into a head-on clash with fanatics, drug dealers and babysitters.

Although J K Rowling owns them, I get to manipulate them and, while I don't earn money, I get something a lot more valuable than mere gold from playing in the Potterverse. Hope you enjoy.


	2. Chapter 01 Inheritance

Chapter 01 - Inheritance Chapter 01 - _Inheritance_

It was enormous! It let out a scream as it scattered the few evening post owls left and right, then circled high in the vaulted ceiling of the Great Hall with wings outstretched. Students sat in open mouthed amazement as the huge bird glided overhead disdainfully before half closing its wings and stooping down toward the high table. A mere ten feet above the high table, it presented its talons, curved sharp and cruel. The roast lamb had no chance as the huge bird ripped it to pieces, scattering the attendant circle of roasted vegetables wide and well.

"It would seem our unexpected guest is hungry," Albus Dumbledore said mildly, studying the huge bird who feasted on his dinner so messily, mere inches from his plate. The patent twinkle in his eye was very much in evidence. "Wedge tailed eagle I believe, an Australian native, how intriguing!"

The eagle paused in his ripping and tearing for an instant as if to comment on the headmaster's remarks before returning to its messy meal. Impatiently, it flicked its leg where a parchment was attached. With a soft 'ahh' of understanding, Albus freed the letter which immediately returned to its original size. Reading the old fashioned script, Albus' lips twitched slightly and the twinkle in his eye became even more pronounced as he bent forward. "Severus, for you I believe."

Every eye in the hall was now targeted on Professor Snape who merely took the offered envelope, sneered at it, secreted it away inside his voluminous black robes and continued to pick at the meal in front of him. Before the disappointed sigh of thwarted curiosity could gather momentum, the eagle screamed and flapped, almost scattering the junior Gryffindors before it gained height and disappeared through the upper windows of the Great Hall.

Ignoring the other staff members, Severus Snape finished his meal and stalked out of the hall as usual, no hint of hurry or curiosity in his bearing as he left. Only Remus Lupin caught the initial almost imperceptible glint of interest in Severus' expressionless black eyes as his hand had closed over the letter. For others it would seem the Potions Master was unaffected by the unexpected as usual but for Lupin, who knew Snape's every mood intimately, it was as good as a yelp of surprise.

As soon as classes finished for the day, Lupin made his way to the dungeons and knocked lightly on the potions classroom door. Peering around the heavy black oak door, he almost blinked in surprise at the activity in the room. At least half a dozen students were industriously scrubbing at the floor using very Muggle scrubbing brushes. Three more were dusting and polishing vials from a tall, lead-lighted cabinet, and another four students scoured out cauldrons, their dragon hide gloves soaked with scouring solution. The most amazing part of the drudgery was that there were two Slytherins included in the even spread of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Sev had really outdone himself with the detentions this evening!

"Well?" Severus purred from his perch at his desk, glaring pointedly at the slight, rather amused looking werewolf peering in at his door.

"Sorry to disturb you, Professor Snape, but I was wondering what happened to my after-school tutoring class. Now I know."

Severus nearly managed to look sheepish, but only to someone intimately acquainted with his fractional changes of expression. "The level of concentration was sadly lacking this afternoon, resulting in a number of near disasters. One cannot lose concentration when"--Remus mouthed with him–"brewing concentrated magic." Snape's sneer became a glare of outrage at Lupin's teasing; he was still not entirely used to the werewolf's lack of decorum at times. Lupin did not fear him as the others did, did not cower before his sneer or crumble at his slightest snarl. In fact, Lupin took all his usual snarkiness in his stride and gave back something perfect and most coveted in return, acceptance. And because of that simple act of kindness, Severus rarely turned his temper on his partner of the last six years.

"Will they be much longer?" Remus asked, jerking him back to the present.

Surveying the work already done and the time candle burning on the desk, Snape pursed his lips and scowled, "They will not miss dinner," he conceded grimly.

For a moment it looked as if Professor Lupin would protest but then he smiled ruefully and nodded. "Very well, I believe I can do the tutoring sessions tomorrow at the DA club meeting. Will you be joining us then, Professor Snape?"

Snape nodded and dismissed Lupin from his attention, continuing to write scathing comments on the pathetically inadequate rambling his sixth-years had turned in as essays on Memory Enhancement potions, their uses and drawbacks. Ten minutes before dinner, he finally dismissed the detention class and stared around the now spotless classroom, barely seeing the place. The parchment in his pocket was burning a hole, but he didn't want to open it until he had an adequate time frame to read and think on the contents of the letter. He knew very well that it would not be good news. He rarely received letters and they usually contained hideous, life changing tidings so his experience had not led him to expect any different this time.

When Lupin had first put his head around the door, Severus admitted to himself that he had been very glad to see the shy, usually self effacing DADA Master. Remus was his friend as well as his current lover, as very odd as that situation seemed to Severus. He had never had a true friend before, not like Remus Lupin. Oh, he had had acquaintances, people he had spoken with and occasionally debated with but never someone he was glad to see or felt he could really talk with about those things that really mattered to him. Lupin was someone he could confess his passions to, share his joys or sadness, triumphs or failures with.

He had had lovers before, of course, people to share his body with, to scratch the itch or exercise the hormones, whatever the current terminology was, but not to sleep with and wake up to, to talk with and, Merlin forgive him, '_cuddle up and share pillow talk with_'! Even his first love, Lucius, had not been open to such confessions, both of them being too young and, indeed, callow for such soul-searching. With Tom, he had been the younger lover of a much older man, seeing the Dark Lord as his mentor as well as his lover, not a situation to encourage any shows of weakness or uncertainty.

Again, Remus was different, a comfortable shoulder to lay his head on, a warm body to hold onto and a keen mind to debate with. With Remus Lupin, he could even say very uncharacteristic things like 'I was scared' or 'I was excited', and Lupin didn't laugh or ridicule him, nor did he make reference to the weakness at a later date or hold it over his head to make gains. He was quite extraordinary!

When Remus told him something personal, he did not feel the need to use it against the rather slim and delicate looking professor either. And when he delivered the Wolfsbane potion, he never felt superior to Remus or that Remus owed him anything in exchange, which was a very strange state of affairs between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor.

Years ago, while they had been at school together, they had nearly become friends, but then Black and his insane need to control had come between them, very nearly causing Remus to attack him when in werewolf form. Severus had not known of Remus' lycanthropy at the time, and it had come as a great shock to the system as well as a perceived betrayal of Snape's trust, something he never took lightly. That severed their budding friendship as Severus feared and hated werewolves. The horror was reinforced when Remus had come to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts the first time and had all but attacked Snape again.

Finally, during the Second Voldemort War or the SVW as the popular press were beginning to call it, Remus had literally saved his sanity. A frenzied attack by the Dark Lord had almost killed Severus, breaking bones, destroying muscle and wrecking internal organs. To save his mind, Snape had gone into an Occlumentic trance but could not break out of it, reducing him to a mental vegetable. Remus had been the one to nurse his mindless body and slowly bring his mind back through what amounted to a childhood and adolescence until he regained full control of himself. Snape had eventually come to, first, love Remus as a father figure, later, respect and finally, when his faculties returned fully, love the quiet and self effacing werewolf who had more strength of character in his little finger than Snape felt he had in his whole body!

Sadly, a stay in Azkaban after the final battle had destroyed Snape's newly gained happiness, eaten away by Dementors, and finally destroyed by the actions of the Wizengamot and a rogue group of dissenters at his trial. It had been a further five years before Remus once again returned to teach at Hogwarts. The werewolf had embarked on a concerted plan to rekindle their affair and make Snape remember the happiness they had so briefly shared. It had taken time and patience, almost five years, to regain the levels of trust and comfort they had once shared, and all Severus could be grateful for was Remus' stubborn persistence and the long lifespan wizards were granted, time enough to overcome most obstacles to their relationship. Indeed, last year another obstacle had been quietly legislated out of existence, and over the past eight months Severus had been exploring an action for every nuance and possible outcome before he could approach Remus with his plan for their future.

The door opened again and Severus jumped, lifting his head off his hand and staring at the door. His nose twitched in surprise at the rich smells that invaded his potions classroom and his mouth even watered for a second. The tray was followed by Remus who smiled fondly as he came in and slid his burden onto the desk. "We wondered where you had got to, but I guessed you would still be here so I had the house-elves make you something you like."

Surprised, Severus glanced at the time candle and blinked to discover at least two hours had disappeared. "I was thinking about you," he was startled into saying then clamped his mouth shut only to soften again when Remus' whole face lit up in pleasure as if he had received a huge and very valuable gift. Such small, almost negligible things like a kind word pleased Remus so much.

"You missed dinner again and I was worried. You don't eat enough, Sev, not for the intensity you focus on your work." Remus lifted the charm from the tray to reveal lightly baked fish with steamed vegetables, a steaming pot of Earl Grey tea and a goblet of light white wine. He knew what Severus liked when not in the throes of need.

"Thank you," Severus murmured as the warm, scented steam wafted up, enveloping them in a fragrant cloud.

"So, I have to ask, what did your letter say?" Remus murmured quietly, conjuring another chair for himself.

Severus sighed and pulled out the parchment, handing it over before picking up his knife and fork again.

"But you haven't even opened it," Remus protested, studying the unbroken seal carefully.

"I know. I hate letters. You open it," Severus mumbled, not looking up from his last cup of tea. "Stop!" he yelped as Remus went to crack the wax seal. "Damn it, Lupin, are you insane? Did you check it for spells or charms? Did you even think to make sure it was not a trap or a Portkey or, or…."

Remus threw back his head and laughed heartily, even though he knew Snape would not appreciate his levity. "How I love your paranoia, so cosy and heart warming," he teased but obligingly pulled out his wand and cast a revealing spell over the parchment. It shone blue and gold, showing no spells what so ever, not even a protection against the weather spell. No wonder the lettering was slightly blurred; the raindrops looked like tear marks on the yellowed parchment. "Are you happy now?"

Severus nodded sharply and snapped up another mouthful of fish to stop any remarks he might be tempted to make. He kept his eyes on his plate feigning indifference as Lupin's long slim fingers slid carefully under the wax seal and broke it with a soft crack. The parchment unrolled and Lupin read carefully, stopped with his mouth open and reread the missive again. "So? What does it say? Lupin, damn it! What does it say?" he finally demanded impatiently.

"Well, first of all it is from Australia as the eagle implied. From a person called Sandy Solstein who openly confesses she is a Squib and hopes she can muster enough power to address the letter properly – obviously she did. Is your middle name really Ibrim? Severus Ibrim Snape, I like it!"

"Keep your mind on track there, Lupin," Severus said firmly as Remus put his initials together and giggled. "Don't say it! Do Not Say It - if you value your life!" Snape threatened, waving the fork like a weapon or a wand.

"Yes, I can see why it would not be popular, Sis," Remus teased and laughed aloud as he heard Snape's teeth grind together. "Alright, no more teasing. Shall I just read it to you without the editorial remarks?"

'_Dear Mr Snape_

_My name is Sandy Solstein and I am a Squib so I hope this letter arrives with you in good condition, or at all. I am penning this for my good friend and neighbour Lachrima Druid who unfortunately died last week. She and her husband were burned to death when fire ran wild across the highlands and cornered them in their shed. She had left her wand in the house and could not Accio it in time to save herself or her husband. There was not sign of foul play, I must assure you, just sheer bad luck._

_When Lacky first moved into the area and discovered I was probably the most magical person in the district, which isn't saying much, she gave me the honoured post of Secret-Keeper, not the full, magical version but the Muggle version which is called 'Executor'. In the packet of charms she left with me was this pre-addressed parchment and instructions to give it to their post eagle if anything went wrong. So, something has gone very wrong and now there is no one left to take charge of Angel and Linus. They are five and have already manifest wish-craft which is even more powerful than my full powers. As their closest known, living relative, I must pass the guardianship of the twins to you as soon as possible…._'

Remus' whiskey smooth voice trailed off as the sense of what he was reading took on a tangible presence in the room. He lifted his eyes to stare at Severus who was staring back with his mouth hanging open. "You are granted the guardianship of five-year-old twins? Oh my, now that is a piece of news indeed!"

"There must be some mistake! Lachrima Druid wouldn't be so stupid as to get herself killed like that! Would she? She attended the Durmstrang Institute, for Merlin's sake; she wouldn't be seen in public without her wand, would she?" Severus added plaintitively.

"If she'd been living like a Muggle, perhaps she would get a little careless, who knows? But, Sev, twins! Children, little children, and you are to be their guardian."

"No! No, no, no, not possible! No!"

oo0oo

"No! No, I say! What do I know about children? Nothing! I hate children! Al-bus! Do something!" The smooth, dark tones rose into a wail, causing half the staff to crack up and the rest to hide their heads as the cool, snide, self-contained Professor Snape lost the plot and had a panic attack in the middle of the staff room.

"Now, Severus, you have been dealing with children all your life, how can you say you hate them?" Albus Dumbledore asked with wide-eyed surprise which caused even more giggles amongst his staff.

"He only likes them boiled," someone muttered under their breath.

Snape snapped out of his blue funk as if someone had slapped him and glared down his nose in the directions of Mesdames Hooch and Pomfrey, pinning Poppy with his deadly Glare of Messy Death. "Small children are not within the sphere of my experience, and I prefer my children marinated in potions then fried!" he retaliated grimly, making Remus snigger.

Minerva McGonagall cleared her throat slightly and turned to watch as Snape paced in agitation, completely oblivious to the spectacle he was making of himself. Indeed, none of the assembled teachers had seen the Potions Master manifest so much truly human emotion in his life, not even during the height of the war. "Albus and I have discussed the situation and we feel a set of twins will not be too much of a burden on the school and its resources. After weighing the impact of the children against your value to the school, Severus, we feel a larger set of quarters will be most necessary as we cannot afford to lose your expertise. Family commitments are of course more important than work commitments and must be accommodated." After her formal speech she grinned in unholy glee. "Besides, the evil Professor Snape playing nanny to a pair of twins would be a sight too delicious to be missed." She giggled aloud as Severus bared his teeth and stuck two fingers up at her. Filius Flitwick nearly fell off his chair laughing, and Madam Hooch had to pound his back when he began to choke.

"Er, there is one situation that might be relevant…" Minerva cleared her throat to quell the laughter and had the grace to look a little uncomfortable for a second. "Severus, I have known you since you were eleven years old, and you too Remus. How you both conduct yourselves is of no concern to us but for a child, there should be no ambiguity. Either you are a couple or you are not. Which one you choose to present is entirely up to you, but you should make your situation clear in both your minds before the children arrive."

Remus froze like a deer caught in a _lumos_ spell while Severus stiffened and his worried expression morphed a sneer that twisted his lip and a glare that could have melted paint at fifty metres. For a long second the fascinated audience thought the Potions Master was about to draw his wand, a fine tremor shivered his arm, but some vague hint of common sense prevailed and he flung himself out of the staffroom in a royal snit. The old wood of the door exploded into splinters behind him although no hex or curse was cast.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry, Re-" Minerva began, but Remus had faded softly and silently away like his alter ego, the wolf. "That did not go well," she remarked sadly to the headmaster, sinking back into her chair and delicately dabbing a stray wisp of hair out of her eyes. Much as she loved Severus and Remus – they were more like her own children than merely work colleagues – provoking the Potion Master's temper, much less braving it, was not something she would undergo lightly.

"But it had to be said, especially in the light of this new development," Albus murmured as he patted the hand Minerva clutched at his sleeve. "Both Severus and Remus need to come to terms with each other and their situation; they have – issues – they need to address."

"What issues?" Professor Trelawney asked in confusion. "They are soul mates and perfectly suited. Both being men, there will be no issue from the union, which is a pity since their children would shake the world, but apart from that, they are a wonderful match."

"Does the words 'werewolf' and 'ex-Death-Eater' mean anything to you, Sybill?" Professor Flitwick asked shrewdly.

"Oh, is that all? It is extraneous; not at all important in the cosmic scheme of things."

"Right," Minerva agreed, rolling her eyes.

oo0oo

"How dare they!" Severus muttered darkly, under his breath as he stalked down the halls. Even Filch and Mrs Norris chose the better part of valour as statues shivered and paintings vibrated against the stone in the wake of Snape's passing. He stalked down to the dungeon in a fury and slammed open the door of his private quarters. He expected to see Remus there, but the room was empty and still. Angrily, he dragged open a cupboard and snatched out a familiar square bottle, pouring himself a generous three fingers of Ogden's finest. He barely tasted the fiery burn as he gulped a good mouthful and slammed the glass down onto the nearest table before pouring a second healthy glassful. It remained on the table as the minutes ticked by and Remus still did not show up. "Where the Hell is that bloody man?"

He waited another three fingers of firewhiskey before slamming back out of his quarters and stalking down the hallways toward the Gryffindor tower where Remus had rooms. Two patrolling prefects, Miss Bones of Gryffindor and Mr O'Dea from Ravenclaw saw him approaching, felt the waves of fury preceding him up the corridor and ducked into an empty classroom to wait out his passing.

"Oh wow," Jenny Bones said in wide eyed amazement. "Old Snape had a temper on tonight!"

"Fifty points off Gryffindor," the snarl came back down the corridor.

"Eek!"

"And ears like a bat," Sean couldn't help muttering in her ear. They both held their breath, but the professor did not say anything else. In fact, he had turned the corner and disappeared from sight when they peered out of the doorway.

"I hope Professor Lupin will be okay," Jenny murmured as they moved carefully down the corridor in his wake. "Oh come on, surely even Ravenclaw knows Snape and Lupin are an item and have been since forever. My mother told me they were enemies the first time Professor Lupin came to Hogwarts to teach, but then the war came and they became good friends and lovers then."

Sean wrinkled his brow in thought. "I'm Muggle-born, Jenny-girl, so I'm still coming to terms with the fact that there were two wars fought on British soil after WW2 and that gay people are just normal in the wizarding world, not bad or twisted, and they are socially acceptable. Gay teachers would have been thrown out of the school if this was the Muggle world."

"Aren't you glad we live in a civilised society then?" Jenny teased lightly, hooking arms with her fellow prefect and boyfriend.

oo0oo

Lupin's rooms were located near Gryffindor, in a staff corridor that rarely showed itself to pupils. It recognised Snape's aura, recognised the roiling black and purple of strong emotion and immediately manifest itself wide and clear so he did not hex the walls as he had last time he had been in such a foul mood. Even magically inanimate objects knew better than to fool with a Snape in a snit. Unfortunately, Lupin's door was firmly locked and spelled shut or it would have opened without a qualm. Snape knocked then pounded then hammered hard on the wood, but there was no answer. Furious, he drew his wand and snarled, '_Alohamora'_. The door frame quivered then the locking ward shattered under the force of the will behind the words and the door panel slammed back against the stops.

Remus' quarters were bright and cheerful in comparison to Snape's dungeon abode. Tall windows curtained in Gryffindor red and gold let the late evening sun in to warm the grey flagstones. Rugs of rich colours and interesting weave covered a lot of the floor, one particularly thick and inviting one was laid out before the hearth. A lot of memories had been made on that rug but Snape was in no mood to reminisce! It was flanked by two wing chairs, red leather, deep and soft with tapestried throw cushions to invite the weary to rest before the fire that blazed in the hearth.

Snape stalked forward and glanced left, knowing which chair was Lupin's favourite and sure enough, he was curled in a small ball, scrunched in the corner, clutching a cushion to his chest like a shield. Impatience and anger faded as Snape surveyed the huddle of misery; watching slight shoulders heave in the aftermath of what must have been a sobbing session. "Don't you know it is a waste of time and energy to cry?" he remarked, although his tone was a lot gentler than any would have given credit for.

"I'm sorry, Sev, but it's awfully close to moon and I always get a little emotional around now," Remus murmured his usually soft voice rough and jerky. "Besides, some of us don't have your ability to morph any known emotion into raw power," he added with a chuckle that sounded more like a sniff.

"It's a talent," Severus acknowledged his mild thrust with a slight smile. "Now, why did you run off and hide? Surely, you are not going to let a set of old tabbies cause you such anguish? Besides, Minerva means well but she can't help trying to pair everyone off, Noah's Ark complex, you know."

"And that's just it, Severus, how could she pair us off so casually? Merlin help us, your family and the wizarding world would go spare, to put it very mildly!"

Severus drew back his head in surprise. "Explain," he commanded harshly.

Remus sighed and put down the cushion, facing Severus with a sadly resigned smile. "Severus," he began gently. "You are Head of a pure-blood Family and a well respected member of the community. You have published five books in your own name and I don't know how many learned articles and papers. You have personally created and patented half a dozen new and very effective potions which are widely used in the world of medicine. This includes the only known agent for assisting those who have undergone the Cruciatus Curse to manage to regain the use of their muscles without tremors. Even those who are so far gone as to be mind-broken are helped by the potion. You are from a pure-blood family and are respected by your peers throughout the world. And what am I? I'm a Dark Creature that needs a license to even travel around the country never mind a permit to leave the country. I am distrusted wherever I go and only allowed to teach here at Hogwarts because of the inherent magic and your Wolfsbane potion. How can Minerva even think that we could have anything permanent?" He sighed miserably.

"That is the biggest load of self-pitying thestral shite I have ever been privileged to hear," Severus said evenly, expressionlessly before throwing himself into the opposite chair and glaring at his friend and lover. "Oh yes, I have the respect and fear of all the students and ex-students around the traps, but you have their love. I might be one of the greatest potions brewers in the world at this time, but I am still referred to as that 'greasy git' in every common room in this school, except maybe Slytherin where I am fondly known as that 'bastard old bat'. I can guarantee that, if it came down to picking one for the other, you would be first and foremost of all. As for my precious pure-blood family, let me tell you a few home truths! Half my mother's sides are damned vampires, yes, Children of the Night, Dark Creatures, and on my father's side they are either drooling idiots or ineffective Squibs. Inbreeding is what is killing the pure-blood families and my lot are a classic case. Besides, I turfed them out of Snape Manor years ago and broke the entail so that none of them can bump me off and claim the loot in the name of family tradition. So, if you insist on having a dog license instead of a marriage license I think you had better consider very carefully what you are getting into before you drown in self pity."

Remus almost laughed to hear Severus' well respected family carved up like that. "Oh, Sev, they can't that bad, really, now admit it. Not all of them were against you, even if your father and uncles were horrendous and your Grandmother a complete sadist. I have met a couple of your cousins briefly and they seemed fairly stable, the cadet branches of the family, I mean," he added when his irascible partner made to protest most vehemently. "Besides, one of my main drawbacks is that I am ruled by the moon and for one day a month I have fangs and fur, makes PMT look like a mild case of pique. And you know you are frightened of me when I am a werewolf. For Merlin's sake, I nearly killed you twice."

"That was Black's fault, not yours and besides, I seem to remember seeing a certain wolf rip out the throat of a Death Eater who was about to _Avada Kedavra_ me one dark and clammy night during the war. And who killed Nagini when she was about to crush me to death in the Final Battle. Without your werewolf strength of jaws, this conversation would be academic, if not impossible as one of us would be a ghost!" he added as a clincher. "Remus, you were as much a hero of that war as anyone and you were given the Order of Merlin Second Class for your part in defeating Voldemort but do you mention that in your catalogue of pluses and minuses? Oh no! And as for PMT, my grandmother was a bloody vampire, so don't try to tell me what PMT is all about!" He stuck his nose in the air and crossed his arms with a finality that brooked no argument.

Unfolding from his chair, Remus rose and went to kneel beside Severus' chair and laid his head on his knee. Severus wove his fingers through the short tobacco brown curls and stroked them back from his temple. "We are a pair of idiots, really, aren't we?" Remus asked gently, and then chuckled slightly. "Your grandmother was not really a vampire, was she now?"

Sheepish and Severus Snape did not go well together, but he did his best to look contrite. "No, not really - my great Grandmother was the vampire, but there are still a few inherited traits. Still, despite her best and most vigorous efforts, I never did turn into a naturally created vampire. Although I am not sunlight intolerant, I prefer dull days and while I do not require blood for sustenance, I do have periods when blue steak is my preferred meal option. Oh, and I have really strong, if crooked teeth!"

Laughing aloud, Lupin rose and settled himself on Snape's lap, laying his head on one broad and slightly bony shoulder. "Okay, you are a bad, bad man! So, what are we going to do about these children?"

"Let's finish this discussion first. I propose we register a pair bond with the Wizengamot tomorrow and…"

"Severus! What about your reputation? It will be …"

"Oh hush up, who gives a toss? I lo… Lo … I choose you."

"Severus Ibrim Snape! You can't even say it and yet you offer a pair bond just like that!" Remus half teased uneasily. "If you can't even say you love me, how long do you think the bonding will last before the strain kills it?"

"Words! Superficial and intransient, what do words count against actions? I hope I show you how much I love you by my actions rather than insubstantial and unsubstantiated _words_." He grasped the werewolf's narrow waist and was about to toss him off his lap but paused when the small frown of worry pulling at Remus' brows melted into a radiant smile of sheer joy. It lit up his face and caused Snape to smile slightly too. It was the little, silly things that pleased Lupin so much. "As I was saying," Snape continued blithely, resettling his partner against his chest, "we register our bond tomorrow then try and discover what arrangements this Sandy Solstein might have made to bring the children here or if we have to travel to Australia to get them."

"Australia? I don't know if I would be allowed to travel to Australia, they have some pretty strict animal importation laws," Remus mused then yelped when Severus slapped him hard.

"You are NOT an animal! Damn it, Lupin! Don't start that shite again, or I'll hex you into next week, I swear!"

"Ouch! Don't hit people who are stronger than you, you bully, or I'll give you something to worry about!" Remus teased back fondly. " Look, Severus, although I know you refuse to even consider it, there are consequences attached to being paired with a werewolf and the sooner you get used to the idea the better for both of us; preferably before you follow through on your quixotic idea to register a bond. Although the restrictions are easing, thanks to the good work done by Mr Boot and some other dedicated members of the Packs, I still can't go into the Ministry building without an escort. I still have to register my movements if I plan to go on an extended holiday that might mean I am away from my registered dwelling during moon. If I commit even a small offence against the law then I can be banished to the Isle of Cardoul forever, without a trial. The law still deals more heavily with werewolves and those who are associated with them."

About to blast him, Snape stopped open mouthed. "Don't you want to bond with me? I-I never considered that. How rude of me not to-- Ouch!" It was his turn to yelp as Remus slapped him across the arm.

"Damn it, Sev, be serious. I don't want to endanger your life or your standing or your position here at Hogwarts or at least, I don't want you to go into anything blindly and quixotically, because you will, you know, even as you deny it. I know you too well to be fooled, every so often your inner Gryffindor just gets too much for your outer Slytherin and you do something foolish, to say the least." He sniggered at Severus' complete outrage and kissed him to stop the explosion he knew was about to go off. "Enough, then, if you won't take my fears seriously, tell me about Lachrima Druid and how she ended up in Australia?"

Severus shook his head and refrained from commenting on Remus' inner Slytherin, allowing himself to be cajoled into a better frame of mind. "Lachrima is or was my cousin, the daughter of my mother's sister and not part of the Snape side of the family, thank Merlin. She was a couple of years ahead of me at school but was schooled at Durmstrang not here at Hogwarts. When she came home she was all Continental and interesting, and the rest of the cousins thought she was just _it_. There was a huge party for her, and her parents announced they were arranging for her to marry Carisiman Moore of _the_ Moores, a very old and established family indeed. However, I caught Lachrima sneaking out of the house three days later in the dead of night. She had her wand and a few bits and pieces stuffed in her pockets and nothing else. Lachrima was not the most powerful witch in the family, but she was determined to get away, as far away as possible from Carisiman who had a terrible reputation for being dead bent. He was one of Riddle's cronies and if Tom Riddle hadn't _AK-ed_ him a few months after Lachrima got away, I think we would have had Lord Moore to deal with instead of Lord Voldemort."

"That bad?" Remus asked in surprise.

"As nasty _and_ more powerful than Voldemort but not as smart, I don't think. Anyway, I helped Lachrima escape, gave her access to my Gringotts account and made sure she had a few booster potions to keep her magic high. I was good at potions even as a little kid so it wasn't hard. I knew she'd gone out of the country, but it wasn't for a further six months before I got a note via Gringotts to tell me she was safe and well and going to disappear in Australia. And that was the last I heard of her until today."

"Obviously she remembered you fondly, as she has willed her children to your care," Remus mused as he idly unfastened the buttons at the top of Sev's robes allowing access to the sallow skin over his collarbones. "Have you any ideas how a self-confessed Squib might go about transporting small children half way around the world?"

"Perhaps we should consider a cage? Oh, all right, not by Apparation, that's pretty clear. Perhaps a Portkey would be better? But she is a Squib and may need help activating a Portkey in the first place." Severus obligingly leaned forward as Remus pulled his shirt free of his pants and slid robes and shirt off his arms. "Damn! I don't know, Remus. Is there a Muggle way of travelling that far, do you know?"

Remus looked up from his contemplation of Sev's newly revealed chest and ran an appreciative hand over the smooth, hairless skin before looking up. "Humm, yes, there is. It's called an aeroplane, a machine that flies through the air with people inside it."

"Doesn't sound very safe to me," Severus mused, then drew a sharp breath as Remus bent to flick a nipple with his long, clever tongue. "Here, how did you get me out of my clothes?"

"It's just a talent of mine. You talk too much, lover."


	3. Contract

Chapter 02 - Contract Chapter 02 - _Contract_

Albus Dumbledore smiled benignly at the two men seated across the desk from him. "I would be honoured to officiate at your pair bond ceremony to give the official blessing to the union and to register your joining with the Wizengamot, Severus, Remus."

Severus sighed silently and allowed himself to half bow his head. One of the conditions of marrying a werewolf was to have the blessing of the Wizengamot. Getting one of the elders of the wizarding world to willingly sign such a radical and controversial document would not be an easy task, which had been the whole point of the Ministry's making such a condition on werewolves. Having Albus Dumbledore himself register the pair bonding was almost an iron clad guarantee of acceptance!

"As it is going to be a private ceremony, would you agree to a public reception? I'm sure your friends here at Hogwarts would like to honour the occasion in some way? And we do have a wonderful hall to hold the reception in, you know? Have you planned your vows to each other yet and have you chosen a type of binding? Ah yes, and have you informed your family yet, Remus?"

"I didn't know you had family, Remus?" Severus said curiously.

"Not much, a few distant cousins and of course Harry…."

"Potter, but, but he is not…"

"He was Sirius' godson, James and Lily's son and is my defacto nephew even now. You know it was only a technicality that stopped me from adopting him when Sirius did, Severus."

"And a good thing too, when the Ministry grabbed all the werewolves' children in an attempt to get their hands on him," Severus muttered but patted Remus' shoulder in consolation.

"I would like Harry and Ginny here, but I am willing to forego if you would be too uncomfortable," Remus assured him softly.

Snape sighed deeply and grimaced as Albus' eyes twinkled madly at him from across the desk. "What are you laughing at?" he demanded in surly tones, knowing he was being manoeuvred but it did not really upset him. He and Potter had made a lasting peace many years before. "So now we have half the… all the staff, the Potter menagerie, which usually means the Weasley menagerie is not far behind, and the Malfoys and their motley crew too, I assume. Oh Gods, it's turning into a three ring circus! And do not even _hint_ that any of my disreputable cousins and uncles should be invited, never mind my aunts! No, Remus, there I must very firmly draw the line! Potters, Weasleys and Malfoys, NO ONE ELSE!"

"Yes, Severus," Remus agreed demurely, his amber eyes laughing at his partner's fussing. "I hope... I hope it will be alright to invite the families, Headmaster? We thought we might hold the ceremony before we try to locate the children, or at least find out when they will be coming into the country and their arrival time."

Dumbledore smiled benignly. "If you are both happy to hold the service here at the school, we can have it this evening and perhaps hold a small reception this weekend. It is a Hogsmeade weekend and most of the children will be out of the grounds, so it will not be too crowded. That way you can be pair-bonded and still have time to find the children without trying to rush everything in a jumble."

"Tomorrow," Severus said firmly. "The service will be tomorrow evening at sunset, on the promontory overlooking the lake. It will be the evocation of natural magic, not a blood binding, and pronounced in the Ancient language style."

Remus blinked then smiled at such decisiveness, doing a quick calculation on his fingers and realising they would have the Monday and Tuesday uncluttered then Wednesday was the first of the full moon. "Tomorrow at the lake it is."

oo0oo

It had been a very peculiar day, Remus decided, rushing into his rooms and stripping as he crossed the sitting room. At breakfast there had been half a dozen owls each bearing cards and notes from people he hadn't heard from in years, all wishing him much happiness. He noted Severus had a few too, and a howler, which he simply hexed into oblivion before it could start, with a curled lip, causing half the student body to laugh and the other half to flinch in terror. Severus rarely took out his wand but when he did he was truly terrifying.

Then in class, his seventh-years had presented him with a beautiful gift set of Old Ogden's Firewhiskey in a crystal decanter with six perfectly facetted glasses to match. "We know we're not supposed to know but we do wish you all happiness, Professor," Phyllis Halfsey had said gently, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. "He had better be good to you, or else!" she added in a whisper and he had blushed vividly.

And so it had gone all day, each class giving a gift and best wishes, the rumours washing down the corridors on the breeze, wafted along by the ghosts who were equally joined in giving best wishes, except Peeves of course, who emptied a downspout on his head most rudely. He was still feeling a little stagnant as he ducked into the bathroom and flipped on the shower, tearing off his slightly damp clothes in a mad hurry. Severus would kill him if he was late, he was sure!

Drying himself roughly, he spared a brief glance in the mirror and sighed. He was no prize to give to anyone; battle scarred, greying and not particularly fit looking. At least he still had his own hair, no spell maintaining the unruly curls, even if they were winged in grey these days. "And what would you expect from a fifty-year-old werewolf? A boy's youth and beauty?" he chided himself as he exited the bathroom and flung open the wardrobe door to survey his meagre wardrobe miserably. Sad as it seemed, he didn't have a thing to wear that was good enough to honour Severus. After all the lean years of hand-to-mouth existence, he still tended to hoard any money he made, and clothes were not a priority. Sighing, he pulled out his plain black slacks and turned to get his wand to spruce them up and stopped in surprise.

Draped carefully over a wire frame was the most exquisite set of robes Remus had ever seen. Soft folds of rich Gryffindor red velvet embroidered with gold silk threads made up the outer robes, a waistcoat in golden silk embroidered with red threads went under them. Black linen trousers and a black silk shirt were hung on a separate hanger and there were even soft black underpants and black hose. Sitting demurely side by side were a pair of soft black leather loafers in the style he preferred, a box containing shirt studs and cuff links balanced on the toes. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble for him, he decided as he stroked the superb material with a reverent touch, but who? Finally, tucked into the stud box he found a small twist of parchment and opened it eagerly.

_Dear Remus_

_To honour this most special of days, allow us to stand in loco parentis and present you with an appropriate trousseau. We wish you all happiness in your coming bond._

_Albus and Minerva_

Biting his lip to stop the trembling, Lupin arrayed himself in the finery and surveyed himself in the mirror. He could hardly believe how good he looked as he caused the mirror to show him three sixty degrees of view. Taking a deep breath, he went over to the mantle and picked up the small box containing the gift he had managed to slip away and pick up in Hogsmeade. He'd ordered it three weeks before, given the exacting specifications he wanted it made to and had planned to use it as a proposal gift later this year. He hoped Sev liked it, as it was not exactly something Sev would ever choose for himself.

As soon as he left the staff corridor, he was surrounded by most of House Gryffindor, the children laughing and calling out best wishes. He knew he blushed to his hair roots as Minerva McGonagall took the lead position, Jenny Bones and Michael Reevesby, the Gryffindor seventh-year prefects, flanked him while the rest of the years formed up by year behind the party and the whole procession set off without a rehearsal or a falter, Minerva leading the way to the outer steps leading down from Gryffindor to the courtyard. She stopped and turned to take his hands and kiss him on the cheek. "Be happy, Remus dear, now off you go," she said gruffly and sent him on his way; Gryffindor well wishes ringing in his ears.

He smiled back and made his way down the path to the gates and out into the grounds. As he passed Hagrid's hut, he nodded in the general direction of the now tumbled down shack. Hagrid had fallen in the war, one of his true and dear friends, and was still sadly missed by all who knew him. So many people gone and sorely missed; Tonks, Moody, Longbottom, Arthur Weasley, Bill, Fred and George Weasley, Professor Sprout, half the Bones family, the Longs, the Hampshires, Sirius of course. Merlin! Sirius, his first life partner, to whom he had pledged a lifetime, only to be cut short by a stay in Azkaban then just when they found each other again, the bloody veil at the Ministry of Magic stole him away permanently. Still, he had mourned Sirius and knew in his heart that Padfoot would be happy for him this day.

He passed the rolling gardens and the towering Whomping Willow, remembering the first time he had seen them, a terrified eleven year old praying no one would find out he was a werewolf. Knowing his cage was prepared and the way was warded, but it was still a deep and dirty secret. Then he had met James, Sirius and Peter, and they had become his friends! Severus had been his friend too but Sirius had hated Severus and forced Remus to choose. At the end, it was Remus himself who had almost killed Severus and that had killed their budding friendship until Snape had staggered into 12 Grimmauld Place, more dead than alive from being tortured and hauled in by no other than Draco Malfoy. Severus and Harry had come to a truce during the lead-up to the war, each playing their part in the Order with the grim determination of comrades in arms until Voldemort was finally defeated.

Severus had continued to put his life on the line time and again to get the information they needed to put an end to Voldemort's reign of terror. Remus had gone out again and again to persuade the werewolf packs not to join with the Dark Lord, and he had succeeded above all odds, the Packs turning out en masse to defend Hogwarts in the Final Confrontation with Lord Voldemort and his massed Death Eaters. Their decisive contribution had won some concessions for his brethren from the Wizengamot. Still, by the time Harry had confronted his alter-ego and removed him from the world, they had all lost friends and family, learned bitter lessons about betrayal and picked up a thousand nicks and scars on body and soul. So here he was, fifty years old, a veteran of two wars and going to be pair bonded for the second time in his life.

He paused at the monument, knowing he had a few minutes in hand, and stroked his fingertips over the smooth marble of the plaques that honoured the dead former pupils of Hogwarts, both on the side of Light and on the side of Dark impartially. That had been Albus' doing, the black and the white marble monoliths, facing each other across an expanse of fireroses. He had said in his speech as he consecrated the monument that, _'…There can be no brightness without shadows and no dark without light. There can be no heroes without villains and no sacrifice without cause. There can be no great deeds without great needs, and there can be only one winner to write history.' _If Voldemort had won, would he have been so generous or understanding? Remus doubted it!

The sun began to touch the far hill and Remus hurried his steps, following the path to the promontory by the lake where he could see two figures waiting. The late sun touched Severus' dark head, striking blue highlights from his ink black hair. For a moment Remus thought he was wearing his traditional black then realised he was wearing the counterparts of his own new robes but made in Slytherin green and silver. He looked so regal, towering above Albus' slightly rotund figure clothed in blue and silver. Both turned to watch his approach, Albus with a twinkling eye and a paternalistic smile, Severus looking grim and supercilious as usual but with a softness in his black eyes that was not normally present.

oo0oo

Snape stared down at the rich robes laid out for him in his dungeon fastness, pleased with the delicacy of the embroidery and the quality of the materials. He had planned to wear his black velvet and silk dress robes but the rich green and silver appealed to something he hadn't noticed before. Was he growing vain in his old age or did he simply wish to make the best impression on Remus that was possible? After all, he had never had another person he wished to impress before, not for a very long time.

The note said the robes were a present from Albus and Minerva and it would be rather insulting not to wear them after all, he decided, as he swept the heavy outer robe over the fine silk waistcoat and did up the tiny buttons at neck and wrists. Turning back to the bed, he picked up the package of notes his students had been slipping him half the day. His Slytherins had even presented him with a silver salver engraved with the Slytherin serpent, a tastefully understated and elegant gift that had surprised him as much as pleased him. Other house students had sent him notes and cards, even those infernal Gryffindors, although they were, in some cases, just short of threats of retaliation if he hurt Remus but no less than he had expected. Being viewed with suspicion was the usual condition a spy faced and he had been a spy most of his early days.

As he left his dungeon the two Slytherin prefects bowed in unison and fell in behind him, Andrea Goyle and Joseph Black-Fetchgood making a wedge formation as they swept down the corridor to the door of the Slytherin courtyard where the rest of the house waited to see him off. He bowed sharply to his prefects who bowed back equally sharply then took up a position of vigil on the top steps as he strode off to the lake shore. It was warm enough, the air soft with the new spring, the sun still gentle enough to be tolerated on his skin. In his pocket, he had secreted a small gift for Remus, a magically reinforced gold chain with an engraved golden disk. One side held the image of a howling wolf, the other had Remus' name in illuminated script. If held just so, the words 'Beloved Owner of Severus Snape' could just be discerned. He hoped Remus took it in the spirit it was offered.

The promontory near the lake was perfect on days like this, catching the last of the sun while giving a panoramic view of the lake and the sweep of the surrounding countryside with the Hogwarts castle framed in the landscape behind. Following the path down, Snape was not particularly surprised to see Albus already there in position.

"Severus, my boy, you look splendid! I have chosen the old ceremony, as you wanted, and I hope you don't mind a few extra, personalised blessings being included. Are you ready for the commitment today represents, my son? It is a big commitment and one that will have some repercussions both good and bad on your present life. Are you ready to deal with the, er, fall-out?" Albus asked with genuine caring.

About to give a flip, off-hand answer, Snape paused then allowed the old man a rare glimpse of his inner life. "More ready than you will ever guess or know, and probably more terrified than even facing a pack of angry Death Eaters. He is so frail at times, so needy and so easily hurt. An unkind word can damage him immeasurably."

"And you can have a hurtful tongue? But you control it around Remus, I have noticed, and I think you will be surprised at just how hardy our DADA Master really is. While I hesitate to mention it, your stay in Azkaban, yes, illegal though it was, did take away a lot of your memories of Remus during the war. He was a pillar of strength to the Light and a leader well worth following. He brought many part of our society together and made them work in harmony for the greater good of all. It takes a hardy and resolute soul to accomplish that, I do assure you, but yes, I agree, he is vulnerable to you because he loves you and values your good opinion of him far and above that of any other living soul. I think you both have been short changed in the department of people to love and lean on. Because you are both so eager to find joy, even though you do not expected, you will find it in each other."

Severus knew he was blushing, but the old man did not seem to notice that he had once again voiced something deeply personal that Severus would not speak aloud even under the _Cruciatus_ curse! Before he could muster a reply, the headmaster's face lit up in welcome and he turned slightly. "Ah, here is our Remus, looking splendid too."

Both turned to watch as the shorter man approached down the path, both thinking their own thoughts as he neared. No word was spoken as Remus stepped up and took the hand Severus held out, moving to face Albus as the sun set fire to the sky in a blasé of salmon pink, gold and green. As twilight slowly descended Albus unrolled his scroll and pinned it to the lectern with magically enhanced clips. He began to read from the yellowed scroll by the light of his wand. The words were in ancient, rolling Latin and seemed to take on substance as the sounds hung in the stillness of the cooling air.

Severus stared down on Lupin's slightly bent head from his greater height, feeling the magic of the old words pulling things inside him he had not been aware of. They seemed to pluck feelings from deep in his heart, strip away the self deception and show him the true strength and depth of his love for the slight, self effacing man who did not quail in fear before his very worst of temper, was not ashamed to be seen with the ugly greasy Potions Master. Who gave freely of his support and love, never stinting or putting conditions on how much love he would give, never asking for anything but the odd kind word in return.

In turn Remus realised Snape used words and sneers to keep people away from discovering he could be hurt or reached by words and actions, that he wasn't made of stone and that a fiercely passionate soul was hidden under the grim and snarly outer façade. Only when brewing potions, did Severus Snape ever allow a small part of his inner self to show and then only for the briefest of seconds. He hid his love deep behind glib comments and a finely crafted contempt but he could not hide it from Remus any more.

As Albus finished the first part of the binding, he realised the two were deeply enmeshed in the spell he had been weaving, neither having moved since their eyes had locked. Pleased, he quietly instructed them to take left hand in left hand and right hand in right and then to repeat after him…. It took a few minutes before either man responded to his commands. Even then they both moved at a snail's pace to comply. Now the joined hands, arms and bodies formed an infinity sign, the magic flowing from one to the other in a continuous loop, growing, gathering power and manifesting itself over the joined hands.

Usually in a mere pair bonding ceremony, the magic formed a globe above the couple's joined hands, more commitment, more size, more strength, and more involvement. Both Severus and Remus were too deeply involved in the spell to hold anything back and even Albus was surprised when the globe kept growing, swelling to a size big enough to enclose both participants and push Albus back, away from them. Both Remus and Severus were natural wizards, Remus as a part of nature and Severus as an in-tune user of nature's bounty through his potions. Used to drawing on free magic quite unconsciously, they did not realise the landscape was feeding them until the streamers became visible as lush green and mauve ribbons of light.

The observers on the castle steps were very impressed with the pretty light show, a very few understanding the significance. Minerva whistled silently through her teeth as the englobed couple stood perfectly still, yet their bubble roiled around them.

"I knew Severus was nearly as powerful as you, Minerva, but Remus? He is holding his own and adding to it," Lydia Halfpenny, professor of Herbology said with growing respect.

"Well, you don't think Albus would employ a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who was impotent, do you?" Minerva muttered back with a pleased smile. "Aren't they going to be surprised in twenty five years when their pair bond doesn't fade away?"

"Humm, it does rather seem they have underestimated each other," Filius Flitwick said slyly. "Are we making a remember-all for them? I really want to watch Severus' face when he sees how spectacular his quiet little ceremony really was."

"Now, now, no teasing the greasy git, that's my prerogative." Madam Hooch grinned gleefully. "Maybe Remus will be able to remind him to wash the potions out before he comes in to dinner in future."

"Oh look, it's finally subsiding! Come on, let's get the children back inside and leave them to their privacy. I know you take great delight in baiting Severus into a temper but remember, Remus has a fifty percent share in this contract and he is a lot more sensitive to criticism than Severus," Flitwick said, pulling his emotions together and mustering some sense.

"No, he's not, Remus just shows he is hurt, Severus is just as sensitive and easily upset, but he is much better at hiding his hurts by morphing them into fury and fire," Sybill Trelawney said in a slow dreamy voice. "But that is going to change, they will both grown and change together."

"Thank you, Sybill!" Minerva said without her usual biting tolerance. "Now, let's get the children in for their dinner. We've arranged for the house-elves to serve them in whichever set of rooms they choose to inhabit."

oo0oo

Still holding hands and reluctant to let go, both men leaned forward and touched lips, their first kiss as a bonded couple, light and exploratory but that didn't last as both took fire. Remus shivered in sheer delight as he folded his arms around Severus' slim torso, his fingers slipping under the outer velvet to brush against warm silk. Severus' long fingers slid into his hair, holding his head in place as the kiss deepened and his narrow tongue slid into Remus' mouth, charting and reaffirming the soft willing tissues. Both shivered as the raw power they were channelling found yet another point of mingling and wound through them, pulling their souls into an even closer and more permanent bond.

Drawing back slowly, Remus looked up into Severus' hooded black eyes, noting how his carefully braided and bound hair had slithered out of the plaiting and was now hanging loose and luxurious around his face as usual. Without the usual grease to protect it from potions fumes, Sev had the most amazingly soft and fine black hair, like living silk and just as hard to do anything with. Remus reached up and hooked the hank back behind Sev's ear, watching it slide down again with a fond smile.

"Waste of time," Severus commented softly and dropped a light kiss on his nose before disengaging one reluctant hand and reaching into his robes. "I have a gift for you. I… Here, take it."

Remus grinned at the almost angry delivery and said thank you with another kiss. Flipping open the drawstring, he slid the heavy gold piece out into his hand and gasped as it glittered in the magic light. "Oh, Sev, it's beautiful!" He gasped as the heavy chain slithered between his fingers, the tingle of inherent magic making his nerves shiver in pleasure.

"The chain will never break and will always fit, no matter what your shape. It has a healing potion imbued into the gold, to help reduce the pain of the change. The medallion is a protection against any who might try and harm you either magically or physically, no matter what time of the month it is."

Remus' mouth dropped open at the list of potencies instilled into the gift, turning the medallion to the light to examine the fine engraver's work. The wolf carved into one face looked so detailed he wasn't at all surprised when it turned and blinked at him, its lower jaw dropping in a canine smile. The obverse face had his name carved in it in English, Latin and Runic so everyone who saw it could read it. Remus chuckled when he realised it was a very upmarket copy of a dog license tag but then a second, shadowy inscription caught his eye and he read that carefully before raising his eyes to stare at Severus who cleared his throat nervously. "Beloved '_Owner_' of Severus Snape'?" he questioned softly.

"Well, yes, well. Oh damn. Look, I meant to put in partner but it just came out as, as --"

Remus cut him off with a kiss. "I love it. No chance of getting lost now, no matter where we are. I love you, you know, not just the public you, but the private you, too. I also have a gift for you, not as beautiful but --"

It was Severus' turn to cut him off with a kiss as he took up the offered box and flipped open the lid. He stared down at the silvery metal then up at Remus in surprise. "Silver?"

"Platinum and white gold," Remus corrected gently.

"Ah," he breathed, lifting the metal circle out and following the bas relief snake around the band until it swallowed its own tail. Magic quested from the band, snaking up his arm as the snake let go of its tail and the metal slithered up over his palm to wrap around his wrist and re-swallow its tail again. As it snugged down to fit perfectly, magic flowed out of it and literally flowed through every vein in Severus' body, absorbing into his skin and taking up residence. It was a powerful spell and Severus wasn't entirely sure he approved of the invasion.

"Relax, it is Light magic," Remus assured him softly. "It is a protection against the attack of Dark Creatures. Severus, I realise you fear me in my wolf form and this just ensures that I can never attack you, nor can any other Dark Creature, including your own relatives. If we come in peace then there is no problem, but if we come with anger against you in our hearts or minds, you will be protected."

"And what of lust? Some spells do not distinguish between types of strong emotion," Severus said harshly, worried about the possible consequences to such a powerful and all pervasive spell.

"Do you trust Albus? Yes, so do I, so I had Albus cast the charm after we both made doubly sure it was the best possible one available. Believe me, I do not do this lightly, but I will not have you uncomfortable in any way, not because of me."

Severus bowed his head in the face of such devotion and drew the slight man to him, enveloping him in a heartfelt embrace. "I love you, too," he said softly and Remus glowed brightly before biting his lip to stop tears of joy. Severus might not understand them at this point in their Joining Ceremony.

Arm in arm they walked slowly back to Hogwarts and down into the dungeon to Severus' chambers where the house-elves hurriedly laid out a royal feast for two even as they approached. Tomorrow they would have to face the rest of the school and their colleagues as well as work out a number of issues they had to face, but just for tonight time ceased to count and they existed in a moment of perfect accord.


	4. Celebration

Chapter 03 - Celebration Chapter 03 - _Celebration_

"The little bastards gave us silver! They bloody well knew what silver does to werewolves and they gave us silver!" Severus raged furiously as he tended Remus' burned and blackened finger tips. The offending silver salver was a twisted metal lump against the far wall, banished there in a fit of fear fuelled rage when Remus yelped as it burned him.

"Sev! Calm down! They probably didn't even think about it! Come on, you know a silver salver is the traditional pure-blood gift to give to a superior, you know that! It's written in the bleeding etiquette manual, right up there with leaving a visiting card with the corner folded over to show it was a personal visit."

"_Accio_ salve!" Severus snarled, layering yet another potion over Remus' index finger where the skin had burst open and was bleeding. A second vial of salve snapped into his waiting hand and he added it to the paste he had already smoothed onto Remus' burns. "That is as may be, but they should have realised! Don't you teach them anything in Defence Against the Dark Arts? How does that feel now? The paste should make it heal in… Ah, good, it worked. I developed it as werewolf specific. It works much better than the traditional burns pastes, even on conventional burns, and counteracts silver poisoning too," he added in pleased satisfaction.

Remus was impressed! "I wish it has been around a couple of years ago when Paul and Charlie were silver-burned, they wouldn't have ended up so scarred," he commented in amazement. The burns were all but a memory already; the new skin was baby pink and as soft as rose petals. He traced it across Severus' cheek, feeling the coarse pores of his upper cheek which contrasted so delicately with the soft skin near his ear. He smiled as Sev almost purred under his gentle stroking, his temper at the incident forgotten.

A quick _Reparo_ and the silver salver was whole again, the spell placing it on the mantle shelf over the fireplace under a protection ward, where it looked decorative and was no longer a danger to Remus. The whiskey decanter that had thudded to the carpet when he dropped the tray was retrieved and the glasses picked up, a common, woven rush tray pulled out of the cupboard to serve their pre-reception drinks on instead. Holding out a glass to Severus, Remus offered a traditional toast and they chinked glasses before sipping quietly. Drinking in the afternoon was probably not the best idea in the world, but in less than half an hour they were to be the hosts and guests of honour at their own reception. A short shot of Firewhiskey was probably the only way Severus was going to stay calm enough to face the ordeal without turning their guests into something small and probably scaly on the slightest provocation, Remus thought with a grin.

oo0oo

Albus had outdone himself, decking the small hall in Slytherin and Gryffindor colours. Tables of food and bottles of fine old wines were already decanted and set out. A number of staff and pupils were mingling at the far end as they entered, Severus looking grim as he guided Remus to the headmaster. Albus merely smiled and offered his congratulations along with a glass of deep red wine each.

At the striking of the bells, the first of their distinguished guests arrived, wife and family in tow. The war had been rough on Ron Weasley, the trademark red hair faded to pale strawberry and silver by the final battle, his right leg terminating at the knee joint. Still, the limp was almost imperceptible and a black glove covered the remains of his right hand. Weasley had dressed in conservative dark blue robes as befitted his position as an organising Auror. He was much taller than any of his brothers, as tall as Severus and twice as broad, an imposing and impressive figure as he neared his thirtieth year.

His wife, an equally lanky and blonde Muggle, looked both fascinated and nervous as they entered the hall, holding onto her husband's elbow with white tipped fingers. She rarely attended such gatherings and was a little intimidated by the extravagant use of magic. They had managed to produce one child every two years of their marriage and a fourth child curved Desiree's belly, bulging the tasteful blue and grey maternity dress she wore. By all accounts Weasley doted on his wife and family, and the care he took to usher them into the hall was evidence enough. The children, the eldest a red haired boy, followed by a smaller red blonde girl clung close to their mother, the youngest child not in evidence. They clung even closer as their father guided them over to meet the guests of honour.

"Hello Remus, Professor Snape," Ron said carefully. "May I present my wife Desiree, my son William and my daughter Martha Marie?"

"Delighted to see you again," Remus said, taking the woman's hand and dropping a kiss on the back in a courtly, old fashioned manner.

Severus snorted and offered Ron his hand, taking the ruined one with no flinch or reticence, which made Ron smile a little more cheerfully. Ron had forgotten what a hard and uncompromising man Severus Snape could be, especially when he was nervous. Ron had enough sense never to mention such an observation if he was to keep his head. "…Weasley. And brood," Severus muttered, eyes darting about as if looking for an escape.

Ron laughed delightedly. "Good to see you on a knife's edge wariness again, Severus, although I don't think the occasion calls for it. Severus' wariness kept our arses alive long enough to finish the job we had to do and get back to the real world," he told his wife with a straight face which made the Potions Master glare even harder. "Remus!" He hugged the werewolf unaffectedly, dropping a quick kiss on his cheek. "Happy?" he asked.

"Very," Remus confirmed, ignoring the wife's slight giggle as she reacted to her husband's teasing then accepted a hug from the bride groom too. "And are you happy to be increasing again too, Desiree? The Weasleys were always known for their fecundity," he added with gentle humour.

"They breed like rabbits but then, we need so many places filled," a new voice purred softly, and Ron stiffened before a grin lighted up his face.

"Ferret! How are you, Man! 'Mione! Hah, it's good to see you! And who are we calling rabbits, Malfoy? With how many children - and one on the way?"

"Uncle Dragon! Uncle Dragon! Where are Hanova and Lysander?" Will Weasley squeaked, grabbing the short blond man around the waist as his sister wrapped her arms around Hermione's legs with cries of 'Aunty Mione!'

"They are over pestering Professor Dumbledore for sherbet lemons and Aunt Minerva for sparkleade," Draco Malfoy informed the red headed pair casually as he ruffled curls and smiled benignly on them.

"Merlin Forfend, 'Uncle Dragon'?" Severus sneered at his former prefect and godson who gave back a perfect Malfoy sneer in turn.

"I take no blame for that, it was Dragon or Dray and I refuse to be a 'work cart'. Blame Harry and Ron if you must. Congratulations to both of you. A gift has been sent to your quarters. Really, Severus, did you have to take Lupin down to the dungeons?"

"I like the dungeons," Remus put in gently, worried that the two pure-bloods would be at each other's throats in a few moments, both sneering and snarling at each other.

Draco sighed, closing his eyes and pinching his nose wearily. "There's no hope for him, we'll never get him out into the fresh air now, and he is corrupting you too, Remus, how sad." He opened his eyes and winked at Remus who was totally taken aback.

Draco Malfoy had never struck him as playful, only as sarcastic and cruel, but then, that was how most people perceived Severus who was nothing like that in private. Perhaps it was just a pure-blood thing after all. He was even more surprised when Draco stood on tiptoes and kissed his godfather's cheek, Severus bending to accept the salute with unruffled dignity. "Behave and look after each other," Draco murmured as he stood down and kissed Remus too.

A pair of arms slid around Draco's waist and a head of fuzzy brown hair slid under his arm. He glanced down and grinned as his wife snuggled into his side and kissed his cheek before turning to the two men before them. Hermione Malfoy, nee Granger laughed up at them, no taller than her husband's shoulder yet sparkling with joy and high spirits. The war had added grey wings to her hair but had taught her to grasp each moment of the day and wring as much joy from it as was possible. She and Draco had been married in the darkest part of the war when life had been a grim round of fighting and funerals. Their wedding had been in defiance of the darkness, a quick, secret affair to protect both of them and the son they had created from Draco's parents and their master. Their first son had been born only two days after their wedding ceremony, in the Room of Requirement. Harry had found a way to slow time and allow Professor Dumbledore enough grace to recover from the Timeless Bier spell Snape had used to fake his death. Hermione and Draco had joined him in an effort to conceal Hermione's pregnancy. Their first, unplanned child was quickly followed by four more children, making three boys and two girls. As unlikely as it seemed, Draco Malfoy was an indulgent and protective father who loved and cherished his family more than anything in the world, so unlike his own distant and cold parents. Dropping ceremony on its rear, Hermione flung her arms around Remus and smooched him firmly before startling Severus by reaching up and kissing his cheek briefly.

"Congratulations both of you! I am so excited! It's about time! Are you going on a honeymoon? You can have the Paris pensionne if you want it? Or the New York property Draco bought last year if you don't fancy Europe. Or are you off to Africa? I've heard it is lovely in the spring."

Remus chuckled and Severus glared before a small smile twitched his lips. "No honeymoon, we will not have time," Severus replied unexpectedly. "Actually we had to get married after all, as we are about to receive twins."

There was a stunned silence then the group burst out laughing as Remus blushed and batted him in the chest with the back of his hand. "What Severus means is we have inherited one of his cousin's children, as their guardians."

"Damn! I liked it better the other way." Draco laughed. "I was about to give him _'the lecture'_ about waiting and the availability of _Contraceptus_ charms and the inadvisability of creating life amongst the wasteland of death, especially considering the ideology our separate families prescribed to. After all, tit for tat." He wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her soundly.

Severus grumbled but he was secretly rather pleased with the fact that he and no one else had officiated at his favourite godson's wedding, albeit in secret and in a very underhanded manner to stop Lucius and Narcissa being alerted to the fact that their one and only son was about to make a seemingly disastrous alliance with a Muggleborn witch. His Book of Family still recorded the marriage under his own name even though the Book of Malfoy had been updated after the war.

The younger group continued their banter as they made their way across the room to speak to others, leaving Remus and Severus alone for a few minutes. Severus checked around furtively and slid his arm over Remus' shoulders pulling him close and kissing his temple softly. "Thank you for being a part of my life, all of my life now."

"Thank you for making me a part of your life, and for filling my life with meaning and love," Remus murmured as he turned and kissed his bond mate fully, revelling in the taste and feel of him. The rest of the party faded away as they tasted and touched, engrossed in their own small world until something tugged insistently on Severus' robes.

Blinking to realign himself with the real world, Severus looked down on a small child with unmistakable green eyes. "Yes, Miss Potter?"

"Hi, Uncle Sev, Mum and Dad are coming sometime soon, but I came faster to see you first. You married my uncle Remy so now I can't marry you, can I? Can I have a Kneazle instead? Mum said no but Dad said yes, so they are still discussing it, but if you get me one first then it would be too late, now wouldn't it?"

"And who said I would indulge you in a Kneazle?" Severus asked flatly, staring down at the heart shaped face staring up at him with an angelic smile and calculating eyes.

"Well, Mum says you always do things that are going to annoy her just because you are a contrary old bat and Dad says--"

"Lillian Potter! One more word!" Ginny Potter, nee Weasley glared at her oldest and most precocious child in something akin to horror. Her husband, his left hand laid lightly on her right arm, was laughing his fool head off as they approached. "And no, she is not having another pet, she had far too many as it is!"

Remus grinned as his mate drew himself up to his full height and stared down at the red-haired woman who glared back equally hardily. Severus had discovered that a 'grown-up' Ginny Weasley was not intimidated or terrified of his temper. In fact, the young woman seemed to revel in the verbal sparring matches most of their meetings degenerated into. If confronted, Severus would vehemently deny it, but he had a slightly soft spot for the fiery young witch.

Shaking his head at their antics, Remus touched Harry's hand and was rewarded by a welcoming smile. "Harry, so good to see you again."

"Remus! We've missed your visits these last few months, but now I know why you couldn't tear yourself away from Hogwarts," Harry teased, letting go of his wife to wrap an arm around his godfather Sirius' ex-partner. "The children have missed both of you spoiling them."

"It's always hard to get away in winter term. How are you keeping? How is the writing? We are using your second book as a definitive text on DADA this year. Even the first-years can follow it."

"Good. I'd hate to waste all that experience." Harry smiled slightly.

Of the Trio, Harry had come away from his battle with his nemesis with both the least and the most damage. While Ron was physically damaged and Hermione had ended up in a coma for five days, Harry had been a physical and mental wreck; scarred, battered and suffering the after-effects of having his soul removed by an Elemental. The creature had split away the portion of Voldemort's soul the mad man had embedded in Harry as a living Horcrux then returned Harry's soul to his body. Severus' potion had managed to control the mental and physical tremors but the lingering effects had manifest themselves in the complete destruction of Harry's sight. His bright green eyes had been reduced to blind white balls in his head and his trademark glasses were no more. Both Muggle and magical medical personnel had tried to heal the damaged optics without success, and at last Harry had refused to try any new treatments. He had accepted that he was blind and nothing was going to change that.

With acceptance came contentment and he was happily married with two lovely children, Lillian and Paul, a full time career and a lovely home in the Muggle part of London. Frequent visits from friends and many trips to the Burrow kept him in touch with the wizarding world, and his books on the Defence Against the Dark Arts, as well as the novels he wrote under a pen name, kept him and his family in comfort, without ever dipping into the legacies left him by his parents or his godfather. And, as he often remarked, magic had a way of compensating for problems.

He sniffed delicately and smiled in puzzlement. "I thought Ginny said this was a pair bonding reception?"

"Yes, that's right. Severus and I made a pair bonding yesterday evening."

"Doesn't smell like it? Smells like a full bonding to me."

Remus smiled and hugged his godson again. "Yes, but don't tell Sev."

Harry laughed and turned, putting out a hand which was taken by a cool slim one. "Congratulations, Severus, it's about time you were happy and I'm glad you found Remus again."

"So am I," Severus confessed quietly to the Boy Who Lived, whose father had been his contemporary, whom he had taught as a student and fought beside during the final days of the war and trained to live as a blind wizard afterward. "Should I get Lillian a Kneazle?"

"Only if you want Ginny to hex you," Harry muttered out the side of his mouth, knowing Sev would indulge his daughter, who had the makings of a very fine Slytherin already. "How are you enjoying your party?"

"Remus is having fun." The dry tones made Harry grin even wider and ask Severus to take him over to Dumbledore.

They moved through the hall, Severus acknowledging greetings and ignoring the attention paid to Harry, who did not see the adoring or pitying looks people shot him when the whisper went around that the reclusive 'Boy who Defeated Voldemort' was present. Occasionally, Harry's hand tightened on the silk covering Severus' arm and a slight grimace of disgust moved the blandly expressionless face. Even without sight, Severus knew Harry was well aware of the smiles, the pitying looks and the sly whispers but chose to ignore them as best he could. Severus almost commented but refrained as they approached Dumbledore who had his own adoring court of small children clustered around his robes as he performed pretty magic for their entertainment.

Severus turned Harry over to Ron who slung an arm over his best friend's shoulders and leaned on him. Hermione slid under Ron's other arm and the three of them leaned together as ever they had, unintentionally excluding spouses from the charmed circle they created.

"The power of three," Draco commented, his glowing blondness and small, fine-boned frame looking incongruous next to Severus' tall, thin blackness.

"Are you jealous?" Severus asked curiously.

"Merlin no! They had their chances, more than most are granted, but in the end she chose me, although I have never understood why. I envy their friendship and their shared experiences, but I would never begrudge it. We survived the worst of times and in these, the best of times, we can relish the love and contentment we sacrificed our childhoods to earn."

"That was poetic, Dragon," the Muggle woman, Desiree Weasley, said softly. "Ron told me a bit about the war you all fought in, but it seems rather far fetched to me until the nightmares come or old friends get drunk and begin conjuring."

Surprisingly, Draco slid an arm around her waist and hugged her companionably, his head barely reaching her chin. "There is nothing worse to listen to than old war stories told by drunken wizard warriors with wands! They should disarm us before we get drunk."

Desiree laughed and dropped a kiss on his white blond hair. "You're bad! And you are one of the worst offender, you snob, you!"

"pure-blood, darling, please!" That Draco could tease and joke with a mere Muggle was a measure of how far he had come since the grim days of the Second Voldemort War.

Severus felt arms go around his waist and smiled indulgently as Remus slid under his shoulder.

"Having fun?" Remus asked, offering his mate the glass of wine he was drinking.

Sipping the wine, Severus kissed his new husband, stroking the hair from his temple with a gentle hand. "It's good to see them being light hearted and frivolous. Draco was right, Voldemort stole their childhoods, and our youth too."

"No, let's not go there today," Remus said gently but firmly. "We are going to eat soon and perhaps open gifts. Isn't Albus having fun? Do you know, I thought Hogwarts would have trouble making the full class intake after the war, but seeing all the children here and knowing how many are left at home as too young, I have hope. We may yet get a couple of thin years, but eventually we are going to have good numbers again."

"After the Second World War, Muggle war, that is, there was a baby boom," Desiree said quietly, overhearing their conversation. "People who survive the traumatic experience of war tend to want to reaffirm life and the best way to do that is to have children of their own. I – I know your er, pure-bloods -- is that the term, Dragon? -- pure-bloods don't approve of inter-breeding with normal people, but I think you will no longer have a choice after this war. The gene pool was small to start with and the war has reduced it even further. If the pure-bloods insist on inbreeding, the number of defective births will increase out of all proportion until the whole concept of pure blood takes on a very different and sinister meaning."

"You sound very sure of that," Severus said flatly, staring down at the woman with hard eyes.

"It's my job to be sure, I am a geneticist. Draco here is a prime example of pure-blood breeding: only child of his parents, almost albino, cousins who are, er, Squibs and non-entities. He marries a Muggle-born witch and suddenly he has five off-springs who already test magic high, very intelligent and only one with albino tendencies. My own children are also case in point. Weasley is a pure-blood family, but they have never indulged in class distinctions and so have never succumbed to the curse of the upper class pure-bloods."

Remus nodded agreement. "My family has quite a few Squibs in the early years of last century but eventually my great grandfather married a Muggle and the problems seemed to ease at that point. My mother was part Muggle and my brother and I were magic rich until we were attacked by the werewolf. My brother was killed and I - was changed."

Desiree frowned slightly. "Is it rude to ask but are you really a werewolf?"

"Yes, really." Remus laughed softly, a rueful note in the depths. "However, being bitten as a small child, I have always had to live with the changes and so can endure them fairly well. Although I still have a few problems, allergies to silver being the worst at this time. Thanks to Sev's Wolfsbane potion, I am now rendered fairly harmless during the moon phase."

"There have always been rumours of lycanthropy in our folk lore but to find out it is true is something of an eye-opener," Desiree stated, fixing Remus with a fascinated eye. "Do you mind indulging me with a few answers?"

Severus listened to the woman ask intelligent and piercing questions before drifting off and finding a glass of Ogden's finest. Standing in a corner away from the direct light, he sipped slowly and savoured the fiery, smoky taste of the fine, twenty one year old Firewhiskey. He surveyed the gathering and wondered at how so many people had managed to turn up for what was supposed to be a small, private gathering. Still, Remus was - enjoying himself, and that was a very important consideration, probably the most important.

He was wondering if he should summon another glass of whiskey when Ron came over and handed him a full glass. They stood together, sipping the fiery spirit without a word between them as they watched people gather, talk, break apart and reform in other conversational groups.

"They're only here because of us, you know," Ron said suddenly, in wondering, almost perplexed tones. "Because of the Order, I mean, and the spies and the bloody stupid heroics this group of born idiots performed on behalf of the masses. Do you wonder sometimes if it was all worth it? If we could have done anything differently?"

Severus turned his head slightly to survey the chief inspector of Aurors, one of the youngest heroes of the Second Voldemort War and one of the most decorated by the wizarding world, and he smiled, shaking his head a fraction. "No, we could not have done any different. We loved and we lost loved ones. We cared and we sacrificed those cares and we won, at a terrible cost, but we did win, and we owe it to those who are gone, to live the best and happiest lives we are able to. We should have more of these gatherings, if only to remind us of why we fought in the first place."

"And why is that?" Ron questioned the tall, gaunt man at his side, a man who had paid dearly for his ideals: had been shunned and persecuted by the general population for so long because he had turned and spied and generally lived in the shadow of evil for the greater good of wizarding kind.

"Because of the children. Because they are the only reason we could have fought and won; so that the children could thrive and grow and blossom in a gentler world than you and yours knew," Severus Snape, curmudgeon of the worst kind stated softly and with absolute conviction.

"Hear, hear," 'Ron agreed softly, toasting the man with his glass. "For the children." They drank the toast silently and in full accord with each other.


	5. Mugglebased Challenges

Chapter 04 – Muggle-based Challenges Chapter 04 – _Muggle-based Challenges_

"I've arranged to go to Harry's Muggle home and call the airport from there," Remus said carefully. "He has a telephone and says he's not afraid to use it!" The blond man teased merrily.

Severus pursed his lips to stop a smile breaking out as his partner struggled into a sweater Ron's wife Desiree had recommended. Remus' contortions were rather amusing so he did nothing to help, instead he settled back to watch the Floorshow. Once his partner had won the battle with the vicious sweater, Severus rose and drew his wand. He transfigured a set of his own robes into a Muggle style overcoat for Remus, exactly like the Muggle picture Desiree had owled them the evening before. It was fawn coloured and calf length, not terribly different from outer robes except it was made of a canvas-like material. He held it out and helped Remus put his arms down the sleeves, settling the collar at his neck, rather than have a repeat of the sweater wrestling. His hands lingered for a moment on the curls at the back of the werewolf's neck and he dropped a kiss on the soft skin there. "Are you sure you want to go by yourself? I could Floo someone to go with you."

"Of course I don't! I'd rather _you_ came than anyone else but you know you would hate it. Rubbing shoulders with all those commoners - bumping into who knows what? Can you see yourself walking through Muggle London in Muggle clothes?" Remus teased, turning in the circle of his arms to drape his own over Sev's shoulders.

"Do you really see me as that much of a snob?" Severus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I'm only teasing, I know you don't like the sunshine and prefer to stay indoors where it is cool and damp…"

Severus glared then snapped a quick charm that blasted through the room, turning his teaching robes into an outfit that was exactly like Remus' only all in black, of course. He thrust the blond wand he purchased in Germany into the sheath at his right forearm. The black duelling wand – reputed to have been broken at the end of the war – was thrust into the left arm sheath, and he glared down at his partner with an air of finality. "I am not a snob, nor a vampire, to avoid the light."

"Now, Sev, I was only teasing," Remus said contritely, but Severus had the bit in his teeth and was determined to go along into Muggle London to prove something to Remus, although neither was sure of what. He ignored everything Remus said, teasing, contrite or apologetic, preparing for the trip with a single-minded deafness that eventually made Remus grow silent and curious.

He was still puzzling over Severus' odd attitude when they strolled down to the Apparation point outside Hogwarts' gates, and Apparated to Hogsmeade then took the public Floo to Diagon Alley. Remus' puzzle didn't last long, once they exited the Floo foyer and entered the crowded streets. In Hogsmeade everyone knew Severus and had seen him on many occasions. In the small village he was just one more Hogwarts teacher and nothing to be remarked upon. Here in Diagon Alley, he was not a familiar figure and it showed in peoples' attitudes to the tall, dark man. People took one look at Severus Snape and drew back hurriedly, women clutching children to them, men glaring at him as they hurried their families away. Oh, a few smiled, some even offering nervous bows and hurried, respectful greetings which Snape replied to with his usual condescension. A path seemed to open up before them as people either pressed their backs against the walls or fled down the side streets to avoid the Death Eater in their midst. On the whole, Severus was shunned and ignored by the majority of the population of wizarding London, only two patrolling Aurors taking enough interest to tail them rather clumsily as they headed toward the Leaky Cauldron. Now Remus knew why his partner hated to leave Hogwarts.

"Is it always like that for you?" Remus asked gently as they exited the Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, melting into the crowd of early morning Muggle shoppers on Charing Cross Road in Muggle London, becoming instantly anonymous in the crowd.

"And how is that?" Severus asked, being deliberately obtuse, but at least he was talking and his lips had lost the white rim of tension that had outlined them earlier.

"Like you had the plague?" Remus said harshly. "Don't they know? Haven't they realised anything in the last ten years? Without you, they wouldn't be free to wander about Diagon Alley like a flock of lost sheep, or anywhere else for that matter. They would be bowing and scraping and dying at a madman's feet!"

Severus stopped dead, ignoring the odd irate comment from the jostling, passing Muggles on the pavement. "My dear Remus, they have no bloody idea what they were saved from - nor do these sheep-like Muggles – and as the events fade back into their past, they realise even less. I am the only tangible symbol of the Death Eaters left, and they think I am the worst there is, and I am - now. But they will never know how much they missed or how close they came to annihilation and they never ever will realise; so why bother taking offence? It's not worth the effort! In some ways I am pleased that they can live their little lives in peace, it is what I fought for after all, you know. This is also why I usually visit the Potters at their Ottery St Catchpole country house rather than in the heart of Muggledom." Severus spoke with a resigned air that seemed so sad to Remus' sensitive ears.

There was no comforting reply Remus could make, only a stark reminder that some wounds were invisible and not healable by anything but time and distance. Those wounds were the worst of all. He might have offered a soft, soothing comfort to anyone else, but Severus would no more thank him for that than he would appreciate absolution. Some people were born martyrs, some people were made martyrs, but Severus Snape refused to fit into anyone else's paradigm but his own.

They started walking again, slowly, browsing the shops and ignoring the streaming humanity who passed them. Severus stopped to watch the antics of a small creature with purple fur in an oddly lit cage, which Remus told him was a 'cartoon' on a 'TV'. It never ceased to amaze him what Muggles would come up with as he continued at Remus' urging, but he would never tell Remus that. He had confiscated some sort of gadget from one of the second year Hufflepuffs last term, and it had made some very odd noises that had intrigued him. A little research told him it was a 'game boy' and ran on electricity packaged in the small tubes he had removed to examine, which explained why it no longer made noises or silly pictures. The Hufflepuff seemed quite upset when he had returned all the pieces Severus had reduced it to in an effort to discover how it worked. His musings slowed his steps and Remus' tugging on his arm brought him back to the reality of the Muggle street in London. Harry was expecting them at two thirty, so they had better hurry along, Remus insisted fretfully.

Harry wasn't on the public Floo and, although they could have asked him to open it for a private arrival or Apparated to his building, they were more than happy to continue their walk, shoulders brushing and hands touching as they moved. Once or twice, Muggles gave them strange looks, but they were somewhat oblivious as they strolled into the residential streets with their neat, narrow houses all joined together. Remus frowned at the lines of iron railings then realised the house numbers were on the small brass plaques attached to the fences, just as Harry had told him. They needed number twenty-five. Just before Severus could impatiently _Accio_ Harry Potter, Remus spotted the right number and all but dragged him forward with a triumphant laugh. "We made it!" he crowed softly, studying the door and finding the button Ginny had told him to push when he arrived.

Nothing seemed to happen but then, after a moment, they heard footsteps from inside. Ginny opened the door with a grin of welcome that barely faltered when she saw Severus behind Remus. "Come in, come in. You found the place all right? I was a bit worried that you wouldn't cope with non-magical directions but the telephone only works here, not at the cottage. Harry is still locked away in his study, but he should be out in a few more minutes. The kettle is on and tea will be up soon. Cinnamon and apple, Remus? And you, Severus? Russian Caravan it is. Let me take your coats. Severus! You leave your coat in the hallway in a Muggle household!" She giggled when the Potions Master looked scandalised, all but tearing the cloth from his reluctant fingers. "Come on in."

The Potter home was light and airy, gauzy curtains filtering the light to cut the edge off the spring sunshine. Ginny waved her wand at the windows and reduced the glare even further when she noticed Severus squinting a little. Indicating the plump floral sofa, she bade her guests sit down and fussed with the tea tray, summoning a second teapot from the kitchen with Severus' selection of black tar-like tea in it. There were small cakes and sandwiches, also a tray of Honeydukes' finest selections of bonbons and chocolates, which both older men eyed hungrily. Ginny poured tea and filled plates, making sure Remus had his favourite chocolate cup cakes and offering Severus his choice of the rest. The wizarding sweet tooth was legendary, no matter what the age or disposition of the wizard, or witch. Desiree had explained about magic and the need for quickly metabolised energy that came from the sugars found in sweets. It was all very Muggle but it did actually make sense; the more powerful the magical, the more sugar they consumed on a daily basis. A case in point was Professor Dumbledore and his ever-present tin of lemon drops.

They were both settled and the conversation was even flowing smoothly between Remus and Ginny when the far door opened and Harry strode in, a smile on his face as his nose twitched. "Remus, and Severus too, this is a surprise. Oh yum, chocolate cake. Thanks, lovey, nothing like home-made chocolate cake to hit the spot. I'll have Caravan today, thanks," he said in a single breath as he dropped a kiss on Ginny's cheek and flopped ungracefully into the second armchair. They made small talk for a few minutes while savouring the delicious afternoon tea Ginny had prepared. Before Severus had time to become annoyed at the niceties, Harry plopped down his cup with exquisite timing and clapped his hands in a business like manner. "So, you need to ring Heathrow and find out when your children are arriving. We have a phone book - _Accio phonebook _– where you can look up the number or do what Ginny does, ring directory assistance and ask them to connect you."

Remus took the phonebook and flicked through it eagerly, intrigued by the many columns of tiny printed names and numbers. "Fascinating! If your father could see this, Ginny, you'd never get him to go home."

"Humm, I know, and I think we have some plugs he would have drooled over." Ginny smiled reminiscently, time having blunted the trauma of Arthur's untimely death at the hands of Bellatix Lestrange. "Ah well, his teaching has come in useful. Even Mum can cope with the Muggle stuff we have here when she visits. We have the kids in Muggle School at the moment; it gives them a bit of grounding before they go to Hogwarts."

"Won't hurt them to have to manually clean their own rooms and hang their own clothes up," Harry put in as a strange white box affair flew to his hand. "Here, Ginny, ring directory assistance."

It took quite a number of phone calls to finally track down the information they needed, one of Harry's dicta-quills taking copious notes as both Ginny and Remus took turns to ask the questions. Severus took over the task of making tea for the busy pair and making sure there was plenty of parchment while Harry simply wandered off on his own business. When the conversation between his partner and the young redhead became too technical for Severus to follow comfortably, he rose and left them although they didn't notice. After wandering through the house for a few moments, the older wizard decided to find his ex-Nemesis and annoy him for a short while. Severus found him in the study, talking to a very odd looking box which displayed his words in a plain, square handwriting that was reminiscent of the phonebook words. It was most legible, and Severus could not help but make a remark to the fact that it was a pleasant change from the chicken scrawl Harry used to pen his past essays

"It's a computer," Harry told his ex-potions master with a grin. "It's not magic, although it seems like it might be sometimes. When I write for the Muggle world, I have to submit in electronic format that is far different from the parchment I send in to Lurenod's for copying and binding."

"Humm, some of our younger students have spoken about these computer things, but I had the impression they were only good for playing asinine games," Severus remarked, prodding the mouse with one finger. The little arrow skittered across the screen and the trapped voice said, 'Mouse moves up and left.'

Harry laughed. "Yeah, the kids think they are just overpowered game boxes, but they are more than that. Here, try this game and see how you go."

When Remus finally went looking for Severus, he was concentrating grimly on coloured bricks falling down on a 'computer monitor', trying to make the odd shapes fit into rows. A couple of twisted, smoking lumps of something hovered around the desk and Harry was in fits of laughter as the older man swore imaginatively and threatened to blast the screen if it didn't cooperate!

"What have you done to my vase?" Ginny demanded, flashing a _Reparo_ at one of the twisted lumps that resolved itself into a vase of daffodils.

"I think the other ones are desk furniture." Harry was laughing so heartily Ginny's face softened and her _Reparo_ was not as forceful as it had been, her anger fading in the face of his complete amusement. "I think I created a monster when I introduced Severus to Tetris. Merlin help us if the kids let him play X-Box!"

Severus clicked his tongue in disgust when the little bricks landed in a heap and he lost the round. "You broke my concentration," he complained bitterly but did not go back to the game, instead turning to Remus who was grinning broadly. "What?" he demanded rudely.

"You just look cute when you are all flustered and indignant over the game." Remus laughed then laughed harder as his partner tried to slay him with his Glare of Messy Death. "Okay, maybe not cute then. Miss Solstein has booked a flight to Heathrow that will land on Friday morning at ten thirty am."

"Quite a civilised hour and well after full moon, considerate of her," Severus murmured, reaching up to cover the hand Remus had lain on his shoulder. "So what did you discover that has agitated you so?"

"Oh, you're good," Ginny muttered as Remus bent to kiss Severus' temple.

"She's only booked for two people," Remus said uneasily, not surprised when Sev stiffened slightly. "Whether she has put the twins on an aeroplane by themselves or has left one of them behind we don't know."

"Is there no way to ascertain which is one or the other?" Severus asked then shook his head slightly. "Of course not, either you or Miss Weasley would have explored every avenue. This is a worrying turn of events." He dropped his chin onto his chest and worried the problem in his mind. He wasn't sure how long he sat there cogitating, but he was drawn back to himself by a warm weight landing in his lap. "Excuse me? What do you think you are doing?" he demanded icily.

"Sitting in your lap," Paul said unconcerned by the glare bestowed on him. "Have you been playing Dad's computer? He doesn't let us play with it. Can I play with your wand? Mum and Dad hide theirs, but Lillian can _Accio_ them sometimes. If we can get them, Lillian and I can make them work pretty much. Lillian can work _Finite Incantatem_ and _Alohomora,_ but I can only work _Alohomora _after she has finished the charm. Dad says I probably need a different sort of wand, 'cus his is a Gryffindor wand and I am probably going to be a Ravenclaw."

"And your sister will be a Slytherin," Severus mused; dropping a casual kiss on the boy's short, messy black hair. "You would do well in Ravenclaw."

"Mum wants me to be in Gryffindor but Dad says 'be true to yourself, no other'," the boy said thoughtfully, stroking the soft wool of Severus' shirtsleeve as if it was alive.

"Your father grows wise. If you are not true to yourself you are exploitable by anyone who can twist you." Severus sighed deeply, regret thick in his throat as the boy snuggled deeper.

"I told my teacher that you and Uncle Remy got married, and she said that two men could not get married, that it was wrong. I told her to go to Hell, and she sent me to the headmaster. He said it was okay to have married uncles but I shouldn't swear at teachers. I really wanted to tell him that Uncle Remy was a werewolf but I didn't, I promise. Sometimes it's hard, you know, Uncle Sev, because of the magic and all. Everyone I go to school with is, well, _ordinary_, and we aren't. It's easier when we go out to Grandma's house and the cottage. There we don't have to worry about what we say but at school..."

Severus sighed deeply, holding the boy closer and resting his chin on top of the boy's head. "I know, but the experience of working within restraint and restriction is a good lesson to learn well. No one can be completely without boundaries and to learn the lesson early will only be an asset."

The boy turned and pressed a spontaneous kiss on Severus' thin, sallow cheek. "I love you, Uncle Sev," he said very seriously then scrambled up, grabbing Severus' hands and pulling him up eagerly. "Mum made chicken and stuff for dinner, and you are staying. Uncle Remy says he can stay tonight 'cus the moon is still not full, but tomorrow would be too close for comfort. I wish I could see Uncle Remy as a werewolf, bet he is really nice and furry. Is he nice looking, Uncle Sev?"

"I don't know, Paul. I have not had the privilege of seeing him in full form while not preoccupied with other things, except for a brief glimpse while I was tangled up in a large, rather vicious snake, but I still remember a buff coloured ruff and lambent amber eyes shining like stars at midnight," Severus said softly then pulled himself together. "Dinner then?"

Remus withdrew, ashamed to be eavesdropping but loving the small insight into his partner and his interaction with the boy, so natural and so genuine. As the two emerged from Harry's office, he wrapped an arm around Severus' shoulder and reached up to drop a kiss on the hinge of his jaw. "Love you, man," he murmured against the warm fragrant skin.

Paul giggled and hooked arms with both men, lifting his legs and demanding a swing as they made their way down the hallway to the dining room where Ginny had laid a table that outdid the tables set by her mother. They ate heartily and drank quite a lot of vintage wine Harry had laid down over the last few years. By eight thirty when Ginny had sent the children to bed and they had insisted their uncles tuck them in and read three stories, the two older wizards were ready to go home. Harry and Ginny took the lock off and opened the Floo then found the illusive Floo powder canister they kept under the sink in the kitchen. Tossing a handful into the fireplace, the older couple called Diagon Alley and Flooed into the main wizarding area. By nine o'clock they were back in the dungeon, sprawled out in opposing armchairs with a glass of Ogden's finest in their hands.

Remus sighed deeply. "Severus, tomorrow is the night of the full moon. Are you ready for it?"

"I think so. I have brewed your Wolfsbane and it is ready for you, a full night's worth. And…"

"No, Severus, are _you_ ready for _me_, as a werewolf? The only times I have ever been a werewolf in your presence, I was an insane beast or you were contending with a life threatening situation! The Wolfsbane allows me to have my human mind in my wolf's body so I do not crave blood and broken bone, but I am still a werewolf, when all is said and done. Will you be able to cope with the changes?"

Severus did not answer straight away, a thoughtful pause for which Remus was grateful. "I love you, Remus Lupin-Snape, in all your moods and changes. In the last instance, I love _you_ and I will never turn my back on you," he reiterated softly, making Remus catch his breath in sheer emotional overload.


	6. ChangeRearrange

Chapter 05 – Change/Rearrange Chapter 05 – _Change/Rearrange_

Remus finished his shower, patting himself dry with care; every inch of his skin was super sensitive and every nerve twitching in anticipation. Severus handed him a silk robe and a glass of juice while toasting him with firewhiskey as they took up their respective positions on opposite sides of the fireplace. The wolf would not tolerate alcohol so close to being free, although Remus could indulge at other times. After finishing his juice and brushing his hair Remus rose and Severus frowned at the movement.

"Where are you going?" he asked harshly.

"I thought I would go into the bedroom for the change," Remus said softly, apologetically.

"Do you want me there? Can I do anything?"

"No, there's nothing to do except ride it out," Remus murmured, bending to lick the tip of Severus' ear and nuzzle his hair before he straightened. He trailed a hand over Severus' shoulders as he passed on his way to the bedroom. The change was close, he could feel his bones softening, feel his skin crawling as the hair follicles began to push out fur. He always grew more hairy toward moon change, his chest, arms and legs, even his back growing hairier the closer to full moon they got. The wolf was close to the surface, and it took an effort of will not to stake his claim on his mate. Remus just knew Severus would not appreciate a man shaped wolf cocking his leg on the furniture.

Suddenly the change was upon him without the usual screams of agony heralding its coming and he was caught short of the bedroom door. He staggered once as his feet began to change, a moan of pain finally breaking free. Then suddenly hard arms held him up and a solid chest bulwarked him as he was carefully guided to the bed. Tremors of pain rolled through his muscles as they tore free of their anchorage and began to reattach themselves in the new order. He knew he screamed for he heard Severus swear and felt his lips brand him on the forehead in burning intensity. How could Severus bear to hold him, tolerate being near him after the fear and horror he had caused his dear mate in the past. But it was Severus holding him, keeping the worst of the ravages at bay. '_Far too brave for a Slytherin._' The random silly thought would have made Remus laugh, if he could have, if his jaw had not been in the process of breaking and reforming.

Remus didn't usually change on his bed - that he reserved for his human self - and he had prepared a nest of blankets on the floor as usual, but it was ignored as Severus half carried, half lifted the writhing man/wolf onto the soft mattress. He tried to protest, but his jaw was already lengthening and he had lost the power of human speech. Surprisingly, it was not as painful as usual. Only a low moan of pain was elicited as his feet stretched and his thighs shortened, his coccyx lengthened and became his tail.

He whined as his neck lengthened but there was a hand holding him, kneading the muscles and soothing the strains. A band of cool balm clung to his neck, sending waves of healing comfort to fight back the pain. '_The charm_,' Remus thought disoriented. _'The dog tag Severus gave me is working, it's helping!'_

The complete transformation of skeleton and internal organs continued until Remus lay shuddering and panting, the world changed completely in his senses. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and fell instantly asleep. The nap did not last more than ten minutes, as the wolf was not a restful beast. As he woke, he smelled Severus, smelled his horror and his sadness, tasted his compassion and his fear for his loved one, felt the strength and the resolve it had taken to hold him while he writhed and transformed in his arms. Such courage was rare and precious as Moony sat up groggily and pushed his nose into the neck so close to him. The potion was doing its work, the terrible hunger blunted to a faint echo in the back of his mind as he managed to stand upon the mattress and shake his coat out decisively.

Severus let him go and Moony flowed off the bed, prancing and eager to join with his mate in a game or a walk or some activity that involved them both. Severus frowned at him, a scent of uncertainty coming off him in waves. He spoke and it took all of Moony's concentration to understand what he said as wolf ears did not pick up human voices in exactly the same way that human ears did. He huffed and grabbed the edge of Severus' robes trying to tow him out of the suite, taking him for a walk or going for a walk with him, whatever.

Usually, when he changed, he stayed in his suite, unable to work the human locks and handles but this time he could get his human to take him out for a run in the moonlight, or to play a game or just be there while he ran or rolled or did something. Wolves were pack animals and the loneliest part of being a werewolf was the lack of interaction between himself and others. All pain or past considerations were forgotten in the moment, and he licked Severus up the side of his face, rubbing against his hip and butting him with his head, begging for a pat, a rub, some contact!

Severus could not help the chuckle that broke out as he opened the door and Moony raced ahead of him then back again, nails clicking and scrabbling on the flagstones. There was a dog-like eagerness and a wolf-like dignity in Moony as he tried to rush Severus forward toward the front doors. Grabbing up a cloak, Severus followed him, pushing open the entry port in the main doors to let the wolf out.

Yelping excitedly, Moony fled down the steps, his paws barely touching the marble as he bolted for freedom, tossing himself onto the moon lit lawn and rolling wildly, legs flailing before he bounced up and pranced around Severus who was openly laughing at his antics.

"Go on, you mad creature, run!" Severus yelled exuberantly, the moon madness touching him too. Moony yelped, arrowing away to the trees and back in a wild excess of high spirits. He had rarely been allowed to run free in the moonlight, either caged by his parents or his school or himself in an attempt not to hurt people. Or when he ran with the wild packs in the war, he had been driven by bloodlust and a dreadful hunger, needing to rip flesh and tear bone. Now, free of hunger and restraint, stronger and fitter than ever his human body was, he could jump and run and play and--

He stopped dead when he smelled it, another canine of sorts, Fang, Hagrid's cowardly hound. Contemptuously, he cocked his leg and pissed all over Fang's markers, deliberately seeking them out and covering them with his own scent. Chuffing and snorting in disgust, he held his head high as he trotted back to Severus, a job well done. Severus ran a gentle, loving hand over his ears and head, scratching him under the chin as they walked away toward the lake together, but Moony had too much energy to be sedate. He yelped again and ran off to explore the next set of scents that wafted to his nose, a rabbit! He was off, coursing after the timid creature, chopping and changing as it jinked and tried to escape. He caught it and grabbed it, and went to bite down on its back as it screamed in terror. A wave of revulsion stopped him before he could sink in his fangs. He carefully let it go and sat down to watch as it shook itself and then bolted for the nearest hole.

Dropping his bottom jaw in canine laughter, Moony ran back to where Severus was slowly circumnavigating the gardens and barrelled into his legs, felling him. Severus grabbed him around the neck and they wrestled on the grass until they both fell apart in panting heaps. Licking Severus up the cheek again in a canine kiss, he stood up and shook his fur out, sending bits of grass flying before bounding down to the lake and lapping up a drink. Going back to Sev's side, he walked at a more sedate pace as they returned to the school.

"Hungry?" Severus asked and was answered by a canine grin and a scrabble of claws in the direction of the kitchen. Oh yes, it would be funny to see how the house-elves reacted to a full-grown werewolf invading their domain. Severus had never thought about just how big a werewolf grew but now he knew. Moony was bigger than a Great Dane and twice as massive through the chest and shoulders but so graceful when he ran across the grass, flowing like a creature of moonlight and shadow should. Beautiful!

Hogwarts had massive kitchens on the lower levels, all run by a large flock of house-elves. Each elf was bonded to the great castle and served with the maniacal cheerfulness of their race. Most of them had enough discretion to realise that, living in a school full of children, they were going to face challenges that would never be presented to a house-elf bound to a single family, like children who carelessly offered clothes with no thought of freeing the recipient. There was a special dispensation granted by the semi-sentient castle to be unaffected by such carelessness on the parts of the young inhabitants of the castle. While the house-elves were quite unflappable in the normal run of circumstances, the advent of a fully formed werewolf in their domain was unusual enough to cause a lot of squealing and running about.

The house-elves managed not to go insane and did produce a large bowl of prime steak for Moony, as well as a beef bone and a bowl of fresh water. For Severus they managed Orange Pekoe tea and buttered toast with honey. When they tried to put the bowl for Moony on the floor, Severus was annoyed and insisted it was put on a chair, which brought it up to a better height for the huge animal. Moony just laughed a very wolfish laugh and gobbled up the chunks while Severus warned him he would get indigestion if he weren't careful.

Severus was feeding him bits of toast and honey when the door opened again and Moony stiffened uneasily, sidling around to the other side of Severus' legs. Lydia Halfpenny had left Beauxbaton School to join the staff at Hogwarts, the fourth Herbalist to try and replace Madame Sprout who had been literally torn to pieces defending her greenhouses from Death Eaters in the final battle of the war. Lydia was still very new, having only worked one term of her contract and was nervous around Professor Snape whose reputation preceded him. To see him sitting at the kitchen table, spoiling his dog, took away some of the mystique and made him seem more human somehow. She smiled tentatively and offered a hand for the very handsome animal to sniff, studying it closely.

"I didn't know you had a dog, Profess… er, Severus. He is a fine animal, isn't he? What breed is he? Some sort of Malamute? I don't recognise him," she asked, desperately trying to start a conversation as the house-elves brought her tea and cake.

Severus pursed his lip and glanced at Moony for permission, seeing mischief in the wolf's eyes. While age and experience might have steadied the werewolf, it had not crushed the prankster spirit of the last Marauder, and Severus did not mind playing the 'straight man' in his pranks occasionally. "He is a rare breed, you probably wouldn't recognise from sight as they tend to be few and far between. And most are only seen by moonlight."

"Ah, a magical creature," she mused, offering Moony a piece of her chocolate cake.

Moony raised an eyebrow and glanced at Severus who shrugged in response. "A small piece will not hurt you," he told the wolf by way of permission. A long, pink tongue snaked out and wrapped around the morsel of cake, drawing it back into his fang-lined mouth very delicately.

Lydia shivered and wiped her hand on a napkin while Severus mouthed 'flirt' at his grinning companion. "He's very gentle, isn't he?" she commented, trying to rid herself of the notion that the man and his dog were silently laughing at her.

"Ah, Severus, I didn't expect to see you down here tonight of all…." Minerva McGonagall breezed in, then an explosive hiss broke out before she could control it. "Oh! Excuse me! I didn't realise… How are you feeling tonight, Remus?"

Moony tried not to growl at the Animagus but even werewolves were not exactly enamoured of cats. He narrowed his eyes and chuffed carefully, keeping his head on Severus' knees to blunt the chase reaction. Severus felt his quivering eagerness and laid a calming hand on his head. "He feels fine, fine enough to chase rabbits, piss on nearly every tree in the Forbidden Forest and almost knock me into the bloody lake. Silly wolf! We were just enjoying an evening snack before turning in when Lydia joined us. She was wondering what breed Moony is."

Minerva peered over her glasses at the younger woman for a moment then shook her head. "Really, Lydia, I was almost positive you were present when we were discussing Professor Lupin's lycanthropic tendencies."

"Lycan … Lupin? Werewolf? Oh, Merlin forefend! And I'm feeding him cake?" Lydia blushed vividly, and Moony yelped his amusement while Minerva and Snape smirked at each other across the Royal Albert tea set.

"So I gather it has been easier on you this time, Remus? Good. Severus, he has tomorrow free so he doesn't need to be in his classroom until Tuesday. Professor Dumbledore wants you both to take it easy on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday you greet your new arrivals."

"Indeed. It should prove interesting. Once the children settle in, I have arranged for a Governess to teach them their primary learning. Albus has agreed to allow her to use Remus' old rooms while she is with us."

"Yes, I believe Miss Harkness comes highly recommended from Durmstrang, although I wonder at your choice, Severus? Weren't the Harkness family part of the--"

"No, Minerva, they were not!" he said flatly, cutting the discussion off short.

"Ah well, you would know, wouldn't you?" Minerva couldn't help putting in one tiny barb before wishing them all a goodnight.

There was a pregnant silence when the older witch left then Severus and Moony rose in concert, nodding to the younger witch with a smirk and a brief bow in passing. As the door closed behind them, both laughed all the way back to their rooms.

oo0oo

Changing back was usually agony, but this time it seemed easier. Severus had insisted Moony sleep on the bed in his arms, despite the fur and claws, holding him tight against his body all night. The first throes of the change were on him when he woke, his legs lengthening, his feet shrinking, his jaw receding and his tail disappearing. He could not help the whimpers and moans that escaped him even though he tried hard not to wake Severus. The hand that had been draped over his waist tightened and began to stroke his side soothingly as Severus sat up on one elbow, his teeth worrying his lip for a few seconds. As the last convulsion hit, Remus bit back a scream, every muscle cramping viciously, trying to tear him apart.

Glass clinked against his teeth and thick syrup flowed over his tongue, the coolness being absorbed into his mouth and flowing down his body from the point of his tongue. The potion didn't even need the effort of swallowing to be effective. The cramps eased dramatically and Remus blinked, sighing in relief as Severus pulled the blankets up higher to his chin.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, speaking softly in consideration for Remus' still unsettled hearing.

A single croak came out of Remus' throat and Severus summoned a goblet of water for him, holding it steady as his hands trembled too much. "Much better, easiest change yet," he managed to assure his mate, pressing one shaking finger to the medallion still hanging around his neck. "It worked. I love you." The effort had used up all his energy and he slept again.

His second wakening was much easier, and he stretched indolently before realising what day it was. He felt great, not too tired and aching but comfortable and even happy. Last night had been fantastic! The best change he had ever experienced, and being able to share it with someone after all these years had been a bonus he had never expected to have again. The last time he had shared a change with someone he loved was when Padfoot had been a part of his life. Before that, the Marauders had changed into their Animagus forms and lay outside his cage.

This time he had run free, completely free, and had interacted with his mate, with Severus, been played with, hugged, patted and been a part of their private pack. Ah, Severus! He was a man of raw courage and unlimited compassion, wrapped inside a harsh and condescending sneer. He wasn't like that all the time, that was only his outer shell; inside he was pure mush, in a Slytherin kind of way.

Remus chuckled, imagining Sev's reaction to that thought as he rolled out of bed and hit the shower. As he came out drying his hair, he noticed a tray of steaming hot bacon and eggs with lightly golden toast set out on the hearthside table ready. There was also a small goblet of something sitting beside the plate, a note propped against it.

_Dear Remus,_

_Drink this before the food. It will help._

_Severus_

Not the most intimate of notes, but the potion slid down easily, warmth and energy invading his limbs, driving out the lingering weariness that always clung to him after the change. It was such a boost, he made it through his afternoon reading with ease and was still energised enough to kiss Severus soundly as they returned to their chambers.

"You are full of yourself, aren't you?" Severus remarked with a sly smirk.

"I'd rather be full of you but, hey, I can wait," Remus teased, making Severus blush slightly. "Severus, you do remember that I am infectious when I am in wolf form, don't you? At least, I'm pretty sure it's only then. Don't let me kiss you or get any fluids into your system when I am a wolf, will you?"

Severus' blush deepened, and he drew a deep breath to blast the wolf for his suggestion but then let it fade. "With your permission, I will take samples during the next change and test them to see what is permissible and what is not."

"You had better take semen as well as saliva samples, both before, during and after, to be sure," Remus said evenly although his eyes danced with mischief. Severus blushed even more brightly then seemed to pull himself together before he nodded his agreement. "Saliva samples are easy, if you just use a standard charm," Remus continued, opening his mouth. "But the semen sample you might have to work for."

After a deep, calming breath, Snape muttered a charm and a clear drop of fluid translocated from Remus' mouth to a sealed jar on the desk. Although he would never admit it aloud, Remus' playfulness and openness about sex and all things related, shocked Severus to the bottom of his straight-laced, pure-blood soul. It also gave him an almost vicarious thrill to realise Remus only spoke to him in such an open and loving way. Still holding his wand, Severus moved his gaze lower with an evil smirk and Remus quickly covered Sev's mouth with one hand, his genitals with the other. "Oh no, you don't, you sneaky git, you want it, you have to work for it!"

"Is that an invitation?" Severus purred against his fingers, making a shiver run down Remus' spine at the promise.

"A plea, perhaps," he managed, hoping he didn't sound as needy as he felt.

He must have because Sev's black eyes lit with unholy glee, his narrow tongue darting out to wet thin, pale lips, trailing suggestively between Remus' gagging fingers. Slytherin mush tended to be a little tart and acidy in places with jags and slightly sadistic tendencies to keep a Gryffindor on his toes. The promise in Sev's hot gaze was exciting. And then he bit Remus on the thumb.

Remus let out a yelp and pulled his hand back quickly, his left grabbing for Severus' wand wrist to still its movement. Snape tried to get free but realised Remus was much stronger than he, so he changed his attack to groping with his left hand. Turning his hip, Remus snaked his left arm around Severus' narrow ribcage and dug his fingers into the tender spot on his side. It was Snape's turn to jump and yelp, a half giggle, half squeal of protest at the sneaky attack. Remus didn't let up, tickling the taller man into submission. They both fell to the hearthrug, rolling around wrestling in a terribly undignified manner until Severus begged pax and Remus flopped across his chest laughing and dragging wet sloppy kisses up his jaw. Their play turned more serious as Severus caught his tongue and drew it into his mouth, lips meeting lips in a soft and tender kiss.

"That was fun!" Severus murmured in a soft, happy voice as they lay together panting and resting from their play. "You have brought a lot of laughter into my very dull existence, Remus, and I do thank you for that."

"You have brought a lot of love and joy into my life too, Severus, and _I_ thank _you_ for that. Let's make semen samples right here on the hearth rug."

"Let's," Severus agreed, pulling his lover close.


	7. Married Life

Chapter 06 – Married Life Chapter 06 – _Married Life_

They'd slept in until mid morning both Wednesday and Thursday and had to make a request of the house-elves for breakfast in bed for two, an unusual occurrence. Their days, completely pupil-free, they took the time to Apparate out to places of interest around the country. They lunched at Loch Long and visited the ghosts at Culloden, looked and listened entranced as they were given a guided tour of the McGonagall family distillery, courtesy of their most famous witch. A discrete bed and breakfast in the highlands offered a wonderful meal of Scottish salmon and home cured venison as well as a comfortable bed for the honeymooners. Severus had stayed with Remus, treating him as if he was precious, holding his hand or even putting an arm around his shoulders, stroking him. In every action and reaction, no matter how out of character they were, Severus had proved his love for his newly bonded mate, and Remus had only fallen ever deeper in love with his very private and tender partner.

It had come as a huge, although not terrible, shock to Severus to find the simple 'fixed term contract' he had envisaged had not occurred. Standing by the lake, he had logically and most earnestly chosen to bind his life to Remus, to support and care for him in sickness and in health, with full measure for the next twenty-five years, with a common goal to raise the children to the best of their ability. At the end of that term, the Unbinding would have been automatic and they would each have been given the choice of going their separate ways or choosing a new form of contract. This was the sensible, pure-blood way of making marriage alliances and gaining wealth and prestige.

Instead, they had each, quite unintentionally, bound their magic and their souls together. It had not been a conscious decision on either part; a spontaneous and joyous fleeing together of two lonely people recognising their other half, as their hearts spoke out and their souls melded. The natural magic of the countryside had come from everywhere to enhance and strengthen the ties, adding yet another layer to the Binding. They were now effectively one soul in two bodies, each one half of a matched set, and there was no way out of it until death, and maybe not even then!

Severus groaned, and then soothed Remus back to sleep as he half stirred. _'It was just too horribly 'Witches Weekly!' sickly sweet romance with hearts and flowers and rainbow bubbles. Slop!'_ And yet, who else was going to take care of Remus? Make sure he was never reduced to a mere animal again. Protect his rights as a human being, make sure he was cared for and protected during the moon phase, when he had no control over his infection. The man was too soft-hearted and shy to stand up for his rights, to demand an equal hearing. He had the magic to dominate most of the half witted critics anywhere in the wizarding world, but he did not have the, no not a lack of courage, but almost too much humility to blast the bastards. Just look how he had allowed people to treat him after the war when, instead of kudos and thanks, he had received kicks and discrimination. Severus knew he had no such problem standing up for what he believed in, quite the opposite. Remus seemed to be able to show him a better way than brute force and blasting charms when dealing with red tape.

'_And quite frankly, who else would put up with Severus' own little ways, his arrogance and his, what was the word Desiree used? Oh yes 'anal retentive paranoia'. Hah! Blast the woman.'_ But Remus didn't see his faults, it seemed. He saw deeper into his mind and soul and fed a very lonely, insecure part of Severus that he usually kept hidden at the bottom of his being. He loved Severus for all his faults, failures and phobias. And that was why Severus had lost control of the Binding, forging it into a lot more than he had consciously intended.

When he had tried to apologise to Remus on their Wedding night, Remus had just laughed and kissed him deeply. "Sev, if I hadn't have agreed, I would not have followed your lead, I would not have let you go any further. Your soul called to mine, asked the question, my soul gave the answer and they both went on together. Sometimes, my love, the head needs to be over-ruled by the heart. I love you and you love me. When all the trappings of society and convention are stripped away that is all there is left, and that is all there needs to be. _Remus John Lupin loves Severus Ibrim Snape._ End of story."

Smiling in the early morning light, Severus had to agree, Severus Ibrim Snape loved Remus John Lupin, rock bottom truth.

oo0oo

However, on Friday morning, there was no time for introspection. Neither of them had dallied in bed past the first cock's crow. Friday was the day their children arrived, whether one accompanied by the Squib or two unaccompanied children, they still hadn't discovered.

"You know, I'm rather torn between nerves and excitement," Remus announced as he touched his wand to his face and banished the beginnings of a grey beard. "I mean these children are virtual strangers to us, not like the Trio's kids whom you have known from birth. I wonder if they will like us. Will they be horrified by me being a werewolf, do you think?"

Severus put his head out of the shower door and glared at Lupin's reflection. "Don't be so wet! They probably are like any of the Gryffindork's kids, just as sadistic and nosey. Young master Potter's only reaction to learning of your lycanthropy was to say, er, '_Cool! Can we watch?'_"

Remus turned to stare at Severus then burst out laughing. "Little Ghoul!"

"Merely Ravenclaw, very intellectually engaged but not very practical." Sev chuckled in remembered amusement at Ginny's reaction to her son's pronouncement, red hair, red face, complete melt-down, so entertaining. "I am always amazed that two such staunch Gryffindors could produce a pair like Lillian and Paul, one a manipulative little witch and the other so hungry for knowledge that he is greedy to gain it. I wonder how the young Malfoys will shape up, should be interesting. Now, stop your useless soul searching and finish grooming, I want to get ready too."

Remus glared at his partner then laughed when he realised there was still a pile of bubbles on top of Sev's head. "Might want to rinse out the shampoo first. How is that one working?"

"When will you understand that greasy hair is not a disadvantage in my line of work?" Severus protested in exasperation as he finished rinsing and used the conditioner Remus had procured from somewhere. "Oh Merlin! This stuff is revolting! It smells like rotting seaweed… Oh! It's not really that bad now!"

"It's marine scented. After the fuss you made over fruit scents I thought you might like it!"

"To use a certain Gryffindor's favourite saying, 'Bloody Hell!'"

Remus laughed as he exited the bathroom and pulled on his outer robes. Yesterday an owl had delivered a parcel from Madam Malkin's for him containing two very smart sets of spring weight robes, one in tobacco brown, one in soft dove grey, and two pairs of matching loafers. When he asked Severus about it, the impossible git had simply clammed up and refused to say anything, until he threatened to send them back. Then Severus had exploded, demanding to know what it took to get his stiff-necked stubborn arse to accept a simple bloody present! Severus did outraged dignity and huffy upset perfectly, completely obscuring the original issue. Remus found himself apologising, which made him narrow his eyes and vow revenge on Sev. He got his revenge last night, although they had both screamed at one stage or another. Smiling at the small love bites on his neck, Remus finished fastening the grey robe's high collar and settled to wait for Sev to finish dressing.

Severus came out in a thin black silk shirt and black wool trousers, his hair damp and curling on his shoulders. Buttoning his cuff, he sighed as a curl slithered over one obsidian eye and flopped onto his cheek. Raising his hands, he pulled them through his hair and left it totally dry as he drew it back into a ponytail low on his neck.

"How do you do that?" Remus asked fascinated as the now straight and sleek hair clung to the silk of his shirt. He quickly muttered a holding spell over the ribbon as the fine, silky strands began to slide free.

"Wandless magic? You just concentrate," Severus offered, slightly muffled as he hunted out socks and boots. "Ah! Here they are. I've been using wandless magic all my life. No one told me it wasn't possible when I was a little kid so I just kept doing it until I got caught and then there were repercussions over keeping secrets; but it comes in handy. It's not as powerful or as effective as wanded magic, but it can get you out of tight spots with the element of surprise," he stated matter-of-factly as he pulled on his boots. A heavy robe of black wool was whirled over his thin shoulders and the buttons virtually fastened themselves as he stood up. "Ready?"

"You are something else!" Remus declared as he reached up and kissed one sallow cheek. "How come your parents didn't notice you had performed wandless magic? Mine would have had pink kittens and thrown a party to celebrate."

"My mother was dead and my father was… otherwise engaged," Severus replied harshly, a sneer twisting his face and Remus realised he had trod on a sore spot accidentally. There was much about Severus' past and his very nasty relationship with his father that he refused to ever talk about. Remus had learned a lot about his partner's past during the war when Severus' mind had regressed to that of a small child and Remus had acted as his parent. He still didn't know all there was to know and continued to respect his reticence but was always receptive if Severus chose to say anything.

"Ah well, their loss, your gain," he said gently, slipping a hand into Sev's and squeezing reassuringly as they entered the main corridor heading toward the great hall.

"Idiot werewolf," Severus murmured affectionately.

"Stupid vampire!" Remus replied in amusement, and then groaned slightly when he realised a couple of Hufflepuff girls were staring round-eyed at them. One glare from Severus sent them fleeing but the damage was already done. Now the whole school would resound with the rumour that Sev was a vampire, again. "I am so sorry."

"What for? Everyone _knows_ I am a vampire so it's nothing new, ask them, but they can't explain why I am able to teach class in the daylight without going up in smoke. Reputation, Remus, it must work for you, not against you. Mine was getting a little tarnished with all the hearts and flowers around here, but this should polish it back up to terrifying again quite nicely." There was a certain smug satisfaction to his tone.

Remus gaped at his mate then burst out laughing. "You are the living end, aren't you?"

"Living dead, don't you mean?" Severus retaliated as they swept into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Remus massacred the cheese and tomato omelette that was on his plate, reducing it to shreds rather than eating it, Severus noticed. Turning slightly, he murmured out the side of his mouth, "If you don't eat that immediately, I will force feed you, do you understand?"

Jumping guiltily, Remus quickly bolted a mouthful then turned to glare at his partner in exasperation. He caught a glimpse of worry behind the flat black gaze and smiled slightly. "I'm just not hungry."

"You always eat well but never gain weight so missing a meal is not good for you. Now eat!"

Remus' mouth dropped open and he sniggered as he assessed Severus untouched plate. "'_Said the kettle to the pot!_' When it comes to eating and gaining weight, you aren't exactly a shining example, my love."

The last two words took the sting out of his statement and Severus nodded slightly. "Agreed. I wonder if the students would be horrified if I kissed you right now. Or would they think I am feeding?"

"Severus!" Remus exclaimed in shocked amusement, a little louder than he intended, causing Minerva to glance over and meet Severus' raised eyebrow.

She glanced quickly between the two men then smirked slightly as she leaned across, pushing a plate of steak into easy reach. "Need a little iron reinforcement today, Severus? You don't seem to be enjoying the kippers and kedgeree."

"Bugger off, Minerva," Severus said without heat, making her laugh and Remus blush. Their casual disrespect and constant, often blue, teasing of each other was somewhat unnerving to the unfailingly polite werewolf.

"Have you thought how you are going to get the Squib and the children out of the Muggle Floo area, er, airport?" she asked more seriously, turning her chair a little to talk more comfortably.

"You could always call for the Knight Bus," Lydia Halfpenny offered most warily, still not terribly comfortable after her run-in with the pair in the kitchens.

Before Remus could reply, Severus snorted in disgust. "I think not. We want them to arrive in one piece, not be shaken to death on their first day. Filius made me a Portkey, which should make transport easy enough. And yes, Minerva, it is powerful enough to move even a Squib and a couple of small children. Flitwick knows his business."

"I wasn't about to question it," Minerva put in acerbically. "I was merely about to say you may have to expend some of your dubious charm to reassure the young woman that you are not about to kidnap and devour her, you being so--"

"Enough, children," Remus intervened before Severus could finish drawing his indignant breath. "Miss Solstein will cooperate fully with both of us, without casting Unforgivables. She will not be alarmed nor will she be upset in any way. Now both of you eat your breakfasts and give us all a little peace!"

Both older teachers stared at the usually unassuming man then both shook their heads in unison. "He is no fun at all!" Minerva muttered in disgust.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Severus murmured back suggestively, and they smirked at each other making Lydia blush and Remus snort in embarrassment. Why did he even try?


	8. Planes and Taxis and Portkeys

Chapter 07 - Planes and Taxis and Portkeys Chapter 07 - _Planes and Taxis and Portkeys_

Apparating from outside the school gates, the pair appeared in Diagon Alley's public Apparition area. They could have taken the Floo from Professor Dumbledore's office but Severus hated the spinning sensation and so had chosen to Apparate, and privately remarked that all that dirty ash was just too common. He looked like he'd crawled out of a gutter afterwards, yuck. Remus had been a little worried that he would not have the where-with-all to make such a long jump with Severus, but it proved to be easy enough since he had been eating regularly for so long and had the physical reserves and stamina to sustain such a long Apparition. Ignoring the speculative looks the few people in the area gave them; they checked the directory and discovered there was a privately owned Floo-talker in a Cafe near the airport.

Going to a small side Floo, Remus called the Thirsty Dragon Coffee House and was gratified to be answered immediately by a young man with a surprised look on his face. It only took a moment to negotiate a quiet spot to Apparate to and within ten minutes, they were on their way. The owner of the Thirsty Dragon, one Markus Leighton-Finch, was delighted to have any wizard pop into his shop and had directed them to a small employee's lounge on the first floor of the building. He was waiting by the door when the two wizards literally popped in, his jaw dropping when he saw who had entered his establishment.

"Professor S-Snape, Sir?" he gasped, blanching a little.

"Finch," Snape replied, staring down at the younger man, a former student from Hufflepuff who had finished his OWLs eight years before. "Have you met Remus Lupin-Snape? My husband?"

The man's jaw hit the ground as Remus bowed slightly, a small, understanding smile reassuring the younger man. "Thank you for the use of your establishment. _He_ refuses to use the Floo, to undignified," he teased, trying to put the younger man at ease. It worked to a smaller extent, enough to unfreeze the terrified rabbit look and allow him to remember his manners.

"Oh! Er, yes then. Won't you come downstairs? We are open for business and my wife is probably dying of curiosity by now. She was Matilda Greenwell before our marriage."

"Ravenclaw," Snape commented as they followed the nervous man downstairs. "The coffee smells very good. We have some time in hand, would you care to indulge, Remus?"

"That would be nice. Hot chocolate, please." Remus smiled at the young woman behind the counter as Severus pulled out a chair for him and settled him at a small, round table in a large bay window. The room was pleasantly old fashioned, lace tablecloths and linen napkins and silver cutlery, unfortunately. Severus intercepted the teaspoon and butter knife that came with the scones they ordered, before Remus could be burned.

Finch almost wet himself under Snape's glare and succinctly worded hiss on the werewolf's inherited allergies to silver, his stupidity in not remembering his DADA lessons, and his shortened life expectancy if he forgot again. The young man apologised profusely for not knowing Remus was a werewolf in the first place, his failure to pass his OWLs with an acceptable standard and anything else Snape desired him to abase himself for. He took away the offending offerings, preparing a whole new plate of scones, a china pot of coffee and a china pot of hot chocolate before bringing them back with hastily procured steel cutlery. Surveying the spread carefully, Severus finally nodded his grudging approval and poured Remus a cup of chocolate before serving his own coffee.

The young couple held their breaths until both older men nodded their approval then both sighed in relief. Remus' sharp hearing heard Matilda murmur that she had been sure Snape was about to hex her husband just then. Severus was also as acute of hearing and smirked in unbelievable self-satisfaction, which made Remus shake his head resignedly. It was no use deploring the man's demeanour, it was ingrained and as much a part of him as his breeding.

The Snapes watched the hustle and bustle of the Muggle traffic as they enjoyed the break after their busy morning. Remus had not realised how tense he was until the chocolate seeped into his system and he felt the muscles in the back of his neck ease and loosen under its soothing flavour. Even Severus was moved to remark that they made a very fine cup of coffee as he poured another and sipped it delicately.

Thus fortified, they had Marcus call them a taxi to take them on the last part of the journey to the airport. When they had first planned the journey, Remus had suggested the taxi option but his partner had been extremely reluctant. He did not trust Muggle contraptions in any shape or form. After a long and hard discussion that precluded all other methods, he had finally acquiesced. Severus had never been in a Muggle car before and had no idea of what to expect as the large black vehicle pulled away from the curb. By the time they arrived at the airport, Severus had managed to lose every single vestige of colour he'd ever had. His nails had punctured the fabric of the car's bench seat and Remus wondered if he would have bruises where his husband had been strangling his arm during the journey. Unwrapping Severus' long fingers and carefully easing him out of the vehicle, Remus refrained from teasing him in any way as his partner stood rigidly on the pavement and refused to budge an inch further.

The driver accepted the Muggle money Remus handed over and grinned as the man refused the change he offered, not realising the new silver coins looked dangerous to his passenger. Taking Severus by the arm, Remus guided his almost catatonic mate into the revolving door that gave ingress to the airport Arrivals building. Once back under an artificial roof, Severus seemed to snap out of his blue funk and glared down at his shorter partner.

"If you _ever_ suggest we do anything like that again, I'll hex you to the Outer Hebrides, I warn you so! That was worse than riding a Floo!"

Remus laughed.

The airport was chaos; Muggles everywhere, children screaming, laughing, crying and generally shouting in a very disorderly fashion. Severus wished he could cast a Silencing Charm over the whole pack of them, while Remus seemed unaffected by the hustle and bustle. Severus briefly recalled that the werewolf had lived as a Muggle himself for a number of years and was not totally ignorant of their world. The sound of a hungry dragon screaming made him flinch and look around wildly but Remus' hand on his arm stopped him going for his wands. An almost unintelligible voice made an announcement in three languages and Severus managed to piece some of it together using the English and French versions of the words.

"Qantas Flight … Australia is landing and … bark at … all passengers will be … through the East …"

The two wizards exchanged puzzled looks but then Severus noticed a large board with flight names and flashing lights. The name of the flight they had been given was now flashing the disembarking signal, and this caused the crowd to surge against the barriers with an eager, hungry sound. Remus shivered, still a little sensitive from the closeness of the full moon, but more from the recognition of the predatory mood of the crowd around them.

"Er – Remus? Have you any idea how to recognise this Sandy Solstein?" Severus asked almost dispassionately, tall enough to see over most of the crowd in front of them.

Remus opened his mouth then closed it with a snap. "No."

Bending his head to stare down at his shorter mate, Snape rolled his eyes in exasperation. Remus grinned at the familiar, narrow-eyed glare then pulled a scrap of parchment out of his pocket. Carefully using his wand as a quill, Remus printed 'Solstein' on the parchment and muttered a growth spell over the scrap. Passing it up to Severus he grinned when Sev clicked his tongue impatiently, but the taller man did raise the sign as soon as the first trickle of passengers began to emerge from the tunnel.

oo0oo

Alexandra Solstein stared down at the child sleeping uneasily on the seat next to her. She looked so angelic when her eyes were closed, but she had been a little demon, only getting worse as they boarded the plane. Not that Sandy blamed them. Hey, here she was, a trusted friend, taking them away from everything they had ever known. They were off to a place that was as foreign to the twins as Outer Mongolia was to the average.

When the news first came on the radio that there was a big bush fire raging out west, Sandy had been at work in the hospital where she was an enrolled nurse on the Medical Ward. Her friend Babs Kelley had turned the station up and called her attention to it, knowing she came from the Mildura region. The fire had a forty kilometre front and the resources from all the surrounding districts, both the Bush Fire Brigades and the Rural Fire Services were already deployed. It wasn't until the fire was back under control a week later that her mother called to tell her that her cousin's sheep station could not be contacted by phone, mobile or radio. The next day the police called and told her about Graham and Lacky being burned to death in their horse barn while trying to let the animals out. It was only after she spoke with the station manager that she learned Lacky had been pinned under a rafter and Graham had been overcome with smoke while trying to get her out. The station hands had been too involved in keeping the fire away from the main building complex and home paddocks to get over to the outlying barn in time to save them.

Larry Mundingi and his wife Elsa had taken charge of Angelinus thank goodness, as they were well aware of the nature of the children. Social services had tried to step in, but their hands were full with the number of homeless fire victims that needed temporary housing. Besides, the locals had upheld the Mundingi's claim to care for the child until Sandy got there. The fire had almost completely missed the town even though it had devastated both the Crown land and the sheep stations on the plains around it. At the local solicitors' office, Sandy learned she was to be in sole charge of getting Angelinus to England, and into the care of Lacky's cousin, Severus Snape. That hadn't been the shock. The shock was that both Graham and Lacky had left her enough money to give her a good start on the day dream she and Lacky had shared all those years ago when they first met. Living and working in London or studying at the prestigious Oxford College was always Sandy's wish. Her parents had not been able to afford it, and she had never managed to save enough to make it happen either. That her big chance came because of tragedy took some of the glow off.

Still in a daze, she had taken Angelinus, made arrangements for the Mundingis to run the station and set off to fulfil Graham and Lacky's final wishes for their children. And that's when sweet little Angelina and Linus had turned into the Scream Machine! They couldn't agree on what to wear which caused a screaming match. They couldn't agree on what to eat, which precipitated another screaming tantrum. If she told them off for fighting, they broke down into the most soul searing weeping, sobbing for their parents until their little body was shaking and clammy from the effort.

Then there was the deliberate naughtiness, things they hadn't done since they were tiny. Linus decided to cut their hair off in chunks. Sandy had been horrified and Angel outraged, fortunately next morning it had all grown back again. Then Angel had drawn Mummies and Daddies all over the hotel wall in felt tipped text marker. They deliberately broke toys and destroyed clothes, but worst of all, and most likely the least controlled behaviour, was the wet beds and midnight nightmares.

All these things were bad enough when staged at home or in a hotel room but when they started to happen in an airplane, Sandy couldn't cope! At first the novelty of the adventure had been enough to engage their attention, looking out the window, talking to the stewardess, getting their drinks served to them like grownups. Then they got bored and started to fidget, then to wail then to scream at the top of their lungs, which made the rest of the passengers glare or cringe. When the sobs got too much, one of the other mothers had come down the aisle with a very determined expression on her face.

"Look, dear, I know you may have your own ideas, but the rest of us are fed up. Your daughter is keeping everyone else awake and we have had enough. Now! This is a mild sedative; it will slow her down, possibly enough to make her go to sleep and give the rest of us a break. Because, believe me, the next stop may be where you get off if she doesn't shut it!"

"Are you threatening me?" Sandy fired up, her own temper frayed beyond endurance.

"Nope, just giving you the drum. Look, you are all done in too, and I'll bet you could use the break? Here, let me give her just a spoonful and you will notice the difference straight away." The woman deftly poured a teaspoon of the thick pink liquid into Angelinus' wide-open mouth, causing the child to choke half way through her latest scream.

The little girl coughed and spluttered, spraying the seat and the meddlesome woman with sticky pink liquid but some went down the hatch. A few minutes later Angelinus stopped thrashing, her struggles slowing until she flopped limply over the seat, shuddering breaths still wracking her from time to time. Sandy let out a sigh, some of her own tension leaving her as her charge settled.

"Maybe you should try a mouthful yourself," the woman said, not unkindly, passing over the bottle. "Hang on to the bottle. Use it if you need it later."

Sandy wrapped her hand around the small brown bottle with a guilty flush. She wouldn't use it; it was wrong, not good to drug children but… At least Angelinus was resting at last, although the sighing had not stopped and she hadn't woken up for three hours. They had even had a stopover in Amsterdam that had not disturbed the sleeping child. She was pretty sure that that was not right but she was so tired! She could not remember the last time she had a full night's sleep since learning of her cousin's death. And she still had to fight her way through customs yet, and immigration and probably the nightmare of baggage handling!

Sandy felt tears welling in her eyes, self-pity and grief clawing at her usual optimism. It was all just too much for her, and she buried her face in her hands to shed a few quiet tears, hoping no one would notice. There was no one to help her at this point and a small child was depending on her totally for its survival. With no choice in the matter, Sandy pulled herself together and began to plan the logistics for moving a sleeping child, a ton of luggage and her carry-on luggage all by herself while navigating the immense complexities of Heathrow Airport. Her resolve nearly faltered under the weight of the tasks ahead, but she squared her shoulders and gritted her teeth as the seatbelt sign flared into life.

oo0oo

The majority of passengers had come and gone before a huge mound of luggage balanced precariously on a small luggage trolley trundled into sight. A small, dishwater blonde woman tried to push the trolley with one hand, the other clutching a small child to her body while two pannier sized bags bounced and jounced at her hips, threatening to overbalance her at every step. She looked around with black ringed eyes that seemed glazed and dull, barely flickering when they spotted the sign Severus held up. She tried to turn the trolley toward them, but the luggage pile threatened to topple, so she gave that up in resigned exhaustion.

Taking pity on her, Remus gracefully vaulted the barrier rail and hurried across to take control of the luggage. "Sandy Solstein? Hi, I'm Remus Lupin-Snape and that is Severus Snape, the children's new guardian, by the barrier; let me push this for you." He took the handle and applied his enhanced muscle to the trolley, headed for the gate and quickly guided the obviously exhausted young woman to where Severus could meet them at the end of the barrier. It was a matter of a moment for Severus to relieve her of the two huge bags and draw her over to a quiet corner away from the crowd. Severus was very keen to demand where the second child was, but Remus hushed him with a look, signing that he should deal with the luggage.

Glaring, Snape moved his wrist to release his wand from its forearm holster. It slid into his hand almost unnoticed, almost indistinguishable from the pale, sallow skin of Severus' fingers. It was the third wand Severus had owned and used, and possibly the most eccentric. His first had been a standard eleven inches of willow with a dragon heartstring core, broken when he left the Death Eaters the first time. His second wand, an unregistered duelling wand he still carried regularly, was twelve inches of ebony with a dragon scale core. However, the wand he preferred for everyday use had come from Germany and was barely six inches long. Even more uncharacteristic, its core was of mermaid hair coiled on itself in a figure eight loop. One end of the tress was set flush with the point; the other end protruded from the base of the wand and actually contacted the wielder's flesh when held. The final eccentricity of the wand was that the virgin Rowan wood was bent so that the wand itself was curved along its length. While it was not a fast reaction wand like the instant action of the duelling wand, once a charm was cast, the quadruple loop of mermaid hair seemed to concentrate and enhance the spell, making it four times more powerful that the original intent. When Snape released it from the wrist holster, the curve fitted perfectly into his palm, concealing it from all sight.

The muttering of an illusion charm and a shrinking charm reduced the luggage to a tiny pile on the table while no one saw any difference. Remus nodded his approval as he popped one of the shrunken trunks into his own pocket. Sandy Solstein perked up a little at this obvious display of magic, but no one around them seemed to be any the wiser.

"Oh, you're good, mate," she stated softly, almost intimidated as a perfectly shaped black brow rose in comment. "There's not a lot of magic in everyday use at home, no powerful wizards around our area. To see it cast in action so carelessly is rather fantastic, sort of a definite sign I am in a foreign country and all that."

Severus shook his head at her confused speech, but like a bulldog worrying a bone, he returned to his most pressing concern. "I think a certain number of answers are necessary at this point. My cousin told me in her letter that there would be twins which implies two children, but you only booked seating for two and you are obviously carrying only one child."

"Actually, I'm not carrying one child but two. This is Angelina and Linus Morecombe commonly and collectively known as Angelinus. Look, it's a long story and I am exhausted right now, can you contain your curiosity until after I have had a sleep? Angelinus has been hell to travel with, whiny, bad tempered and a complete nightmare. It wasn't until one of the women on the 'plane gave me some sedative medicine that they settled down a little and fell asleep."

Remus concentrated hard on the small, apparently female child in the girl's arms, his nose wrinkling just the tiniest little bit as he sniffed delicately. His brows knit in confusion; he actually smelled both a young female and a young male in the one child's body. His surprise was not concealed from Severus who could read him very easily as he held out his hands. Sandy almost automatically handed the limp bundle over to the small, sandy haired man, too tired to try and protest. Stroking the child's honey brown curls aside, Remus bent his head closer and sniffed again. "That's odd, I smell something… Severus, do you recognise the scent?"

Sniffing, Severus frowned; cataloguing sugar, refined willow bark, belladonna in a processed form, chemicals and something else that was vaguely familiar. Before he could isolate it, the Squib spoke up somewhat perkily, almost nervously.

"Oh, that was probably this stuff; it's just an over-the-counter medicine for restless babies. I only gave them half a dose because they rarely have to take medicines." Sandy handed over a small brown bottle, which Severus opened and sniffed, drawing his head back sharply.

"Oh Merlin! Check the child's heart rate, quickly, Remus."

"It is missing a beat, every now and again," Remus said in shock.

"Here, take this to Poppy and tell her the child is poisoned with this foul concoction. I will cover you." Severus handed over the offending bottle and Remus Apparated, a slight 'pop' all that marked his going. In his place, his image sat still, holding the child on his lap.

"Whoa! Now I am impressed! But why the flurry, it was just pharmacy medicine, a really common pharmacy medicine at that," the girl asked, a note of panic and worry colouring her tone.

Severus ran his hands through his hair, totally dislodging the holding spell Remus had put on it for him. "The child is a magical creature, quite a powerful one, as your letter stated and obviously labouring under some sort of gease. Into that unstable mess you have casually poured belladonna and morpheas malicia. Oh, the bottle had their chemical names, but our world usually gives the real names. All I can say is; thank Merlin you didn't give the child the full dose as recommended on the bottle, or she would not have survived the journey. So, let us move on now as these charms will fade away soon and we have to be out of here first."

Sandy grunted as she climbed wearily to her feet. "You know, if I wasn't so tired I would be screaming insanely. So what sort of amazing surprise do I get now? And how far do I have to walk, not far, I hope?" she asked wearily as she stumbled along beside the extremely tall man in the heavy black raincoat.

"I have a Portkey," Severus murmured as he remembered his manners and cupped her elbow to help her along.

"What's a Portkey?"

"It's a travel device that will transport us to Hogwarts. Here, put your finger on this Galleon and you will feel a pull in the region of your navel. It will take us to the school."

"Is that where Remus has taken the kids?"

"This is so," Severus replied smoothly as the magic took hold and Sandy screamed.


	9. The Unlikely Twins

Chapter 08 - The Unlikely Twins Chapter 08 - _The Unlikely Twins_

Remus Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts and began to run, the child cradled closely to his chest. His body was hadn't quite recovered from the full moon, but he was still much stronger and faster than any normal human as he sped up the paths and crashed through the doors into the hospital wing. Poppy Pomfrey snapped out a furious cry as the werewolf skidded to a stop, and then she gasped when she saw the bundle in his arms.

"Oh my goodness! What has happened? Oh no! Is this Severus' new child? Oh good Godric, has he broken it already?"

Remus bristled indignantly but allowed the medi-witch to take the child from his arms and lay her down on the nearest bed. He stood back as she began to cast charms, her wand work becoming faster and even more precise as she discovered the extent of the poisoning in the child's tiny body. Remus could tell she was worried by the small, almost imperceptible tremor in her hands as she flitted around the high hospital bed.

Remus had some knowledge of medical magic having been a patient himself on more occasions than he wanted to remember. Now he was worried. Poppy was moving at the speed of light, but her expression was not getting happier, if anything it was getting grimmer by the second. When she turned to him and said, "Get Dumbledore," he knew it was very, very bad and he fled.

oo0oo

With his usual cat-like agility, Severus landed on his feet when the Portkey dropped them on the path outside the gates to Hogwarts. Sandy was not so lucky and would have stumbled and fallen on her face if Severus had not caught her arm. She steadied herself with a breathless 'thank you' and looked around in interest that began to wane as soon as she saw where they were. There were sharp grey crags, scrubby bushes with small yellow flowers and instead of the lush grass travel posters touted, there was a sort of rough, low ground cover that had the faintest hint of purple about it. The sun was bright and cheery, but the landscape seemed to leech any warmth or pleasure from it. Sandy shivered and pulled the collar of her jumper closer about her neck.

"Well," she muttered irreverently, "I either get murdered here or I discover the truth about the Hound of the Baskervilles."

Severus glanced down at her with a faint frown that morphed into a tiny grim smile when he realised the problem. Pulling his pale wand, he turned the tip onto himself and murmured '_Finite Incantatem_'. His Burberry raincoat immediately became his usual robe of linen and velvet with the pockets and hidden places in the lining all in tact. Ignoring the girl's startled 'wow' he pulled out a tiny vial and studied it carefully before glancing around. Spying a convenient pebble, he called it to his hand and transfigured it into a goblet.

"Holy Shit! That was amazing!" Sandy exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.

Snape sneered at her, causing her to sober slightly as he eyed her up and down. "How heavy are you?" he asked unexpectedly.

She blinked. "Fifty-six kilos," she replied promptly.

"That would be eight stones and perhaps ten pounds," Severus mused as he broke the seal on the vial and added half a dozen drops to the goblet he had transfigured. Corking the vial, he muttered another incantation over the cup then handed it to her. "Say your name three times then down the contents of the cup."

"What is it?" she asked dubiously as she stared into the depths of the shimmering bluish fluid. Glancing up, she caught his expression and chose to follow his instructions immediately, gabbling her name before he burst a blood vessel. It tasted of rotting lemons and was really quite disgusting as it hit the back of her throat, but she saw the supercilious man's eyes flash with amusement so she gritted her teeth and downed it in one. "Jeez! That was really foul! You really enjoyed watching me almost chunder, didn't you? You know, I should just up-chuck all over your nice shiny shoes… Oh My God!"

The last was breathed in awe as the potion took hold and her senses were cleared of the Muggle-fuddling magic. The barren landscape was suddenly alive with bright, flourishing gardens; the bleak, relentless crags were transformed into a fairytale castle of soaring towers and crenulated battlements. Flags and banners cracked in the breeze off to the far right and a huge lake spread out to the left. Sandy knew her jaw was hanging, but she didn't care as she turned shining eyes on the tall, thin man at her side. Even he looked less like a normal person and more like a wizard to her new sight.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," he said softly, a faint smile curving his lips without the usual cynicism.

"It's beautiful!"

"It is, and we are wasting time. Step into the gates before the potion wears off so that you will be recognised by the school." He took her elbow and led her forward, through the gate that gave her a strange, prickling sensation all through her body. "You are now able to live here for a period of time but once you leave the grounds, Hogwarts will disappear for you and you will not be able to find it again without the help of a wizard."

"You know," Sandy mused uncertainly as she eyed the curved and sloping path that meandered through flowerbeds and past fountains on its way up to the huge, double doors of the castle, "it's all very pretty but those doors must be all of a couple of kilometres away. How do we get there?"

"We walk, unless of course you have a broom somewhere about your person? I thought not. Shall we go?"

"Oh, you are a snarky old bastard, aren't you?" Sandy laughed ruefully. "Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist," she continued as his face darkened again, "Lacky was just as sarcastic and sharp tongued most of the time, but she was also a very good friend." Her face clouded.

"You seem to miss her," Severus remarked, taking her elbow and urging her to begin the walk to the castle. "I remember very little about Lachrima, only that she was kind to a rather sullen and sarcastic younger cousin."

"Yeah, she said you were a sad case." Sandy paused then nodded resolutely. "Lacky was my best friend, closer than a sister despite the age difference, and she told me a lot about herself, her family and most of her inner thoughts. She told me about your father and grandmother, and how they were. Sorry," she winced, as the tall grim man beside her seemed to stiffen and pull away from her. "She explained that wizarding families still hid family abuse and that sort of thing behind closed doors. Us Aussies tend to drag child and spousal abuse out into the sun and make sure it curls up and dies a death. But we are way off the track now. One of the reasons she named you guardian rather than anyone else was for just that reason. You'd been there and you were less likely to fall into the same trap as your parent, she knew you abhorred violence against a child."

Severus realised he had stopped walking to stare at the small woman who was blithely ripping apart the neat walls he had built around some of the most horrific memories of his childhood. He snapped his mouth shut and carefully unclenched his fingers; he had put a couple of his nails through his hands, again! "Lachrima seems to have lost all inhibitions, indeed all sense of propriety, after her emigration."

"Actually, she was trying to convince me that you were a suitable guardian for the kids. Look, she warned me you would be hostile and probably out of your depth at this point, but I promised to explain the kids, just the way she wanted me to. First of all, she married Graham Morecombe who is my cousin and also a Squib. They were married for twelve years, very happily I might add, making the family sheep station grow and prosper. At first they wanted children but there were complications. They were pretty much told that children were out of the question and to resign themselves to adopting at some point in the future. Anyway, when Lacky was almost fifty she suddenly found out she was pregnant and she was shocked to say the least. They hadn't factored children into their plans for obvious reasons, but it was as if their whole world had been waiting for the pregnancy to happen. I don't know if you know anything about our medical stuff but they take ultrasound pictures of the baby in the womb and Lacky was so thrilled, she kept showing everyone pictures of the baby. Graham was a good provider and Lacky was shrewd with their money so the kids are well provided for. I have the paperwork in my bag."

"Baby? But… Apologies, please continue to explain." Severus nearly bit his own tongue trying to stifle the questions he had.

Sandy laughed and skipped a couple of steps to keep up with his longer stride. "Love the oldfashioned Pommy manners! Okay, there were problems and complications all through the pregnancy. At one stage there was a threatened miscarriage and some nasty bleeding. Only bed rest and a bunch of pills stabilised the baby. The baby singular, was born, a little girl, six pounds ten ounces of bundled joy. Fifteen minutes later the newly born Angelina gave a newborn cry and turned into a seven pound two ounce baby boy. I'm not talking about a hermaphrodite or anything; I'm talking about a complete change of child. The doctor and midwife were completely flabbergasted and thought someone was pulling a scam, but the baby kept changing from one to the other; sometimes right in someone's arms. Lacky er, oblivioused --" Sandy cocked her head and Severus grimaced, giving her the correct term "--Right, _Obliviated_ the doctor and put a set of memories in the place of just a boy being born because girls can wear jeans but boys can't wear skirts. Then they took the baby to Sydney to a Macquarie Street Medi-wizard to try and find out what had happened. Lacky told me the wizard was full of medical spells and charms but the bottom line was pretty grim. You know how some wizards have half a soul and have to find their soul mate to make it all perfect?" Severus gave a nod. "Well, Angelinus had two souls in one body and he surmised that the threatened miscarriage was one of the bodies dying. Because of the intervention by non-magical medicine, the second baby was saved and the soul of the first baby was trapped with nowhere to go except into the second baby along with the original soul. Fortunately or unfortunately, the resident soul chose to allow the second soul to stay. So that's how come we have Angelina and Linus, Angelinus, as the kids call themselves."

Severus stared at the ground unseeing as he stalked up the path, deep in thought. "And what was proposed to try and cure the problem, do you know?"

Sandy bit her lip. "Lacky was furious!"

Turning, Severus stopped to stare down at the girl in surprise. "Why?"

"The medi-wizard suggested that the intruder soul be exorcised, that it was like a vampire on the body and was a hazard to the baby's health. He even tried a charm on Angelinus without permission and caused them to be ill for weeks. Graham punched the pompous bastard in the nose, and I think Lacky said something about total petrification…" She broke off as the tall man beside her gave a bark of sheer amusement.

"She cast _Petrificus Totalus_ on a medi-wizard? Lachrima always had a terrible temper. I would have liked to have seen that! Do continue," he offered cordially, still chuckling.

"Anyway, they decided that they could wait until the kids were older before they tried to do anything. The kids were happy, they were healthy enough and, because of the isolation of the station, it wasn't obvious and other people's opinions didn't matter." Sandy sighed when she realised they were almost at the huge castle doors. "Then the drought caused all the creeks to dry up and other problems and finally there was a raging bushfire. They caught the idiots who started it but it was too late for Graham and Lacky by then. I got the letter naming me guardian and executor so I sent you the note and here we are," she said heavily as they approached the human sized entrance cut into the huge double leafed doors.

Snape hung back and bowed her ahead, allowing her to enter the huge hallway. She stopped in the doorway gaping. Vaulted and buttressed, the entrance to Hogwarts shamed some cathedrals with the grandeur of its stonework. It was all highlighted and showcased by candles and flambeaux around the walls. A graceful curve of marble stairs ascended to the shadowed upper stories and suits of armour stood guard in a number of niches around the walls.

Half a dozen kids in black robes were crossing the hall and turned to stare at the strange girl who was staring about with wide, wondering eyes. "Hoi you, where did you pop up from?" one of the boys yelled cheekily, their path starting to curve toward the stranger.

Sandy was about to answer in kind when the boy literally blanched and one girl bolted. "Professor Snape!"

"Missss-ter Horner, I would suggest you relearn your basic manners on how to greet a guest. To assist in what is obviously a lost cause, I think twenty-five points from Ravenclaw and a detention with Mr Filch should act as a suitable aid to memory."

Sandy shivered, as a cold breeze seemed to blow through the huge space, driven by the cold, purring tones of her companion. Blinking nervously, she turned but the man was already grasping her elbow to lead her off down a side corridor, the children scurrying away furtively. "Did you have to be so mean?"

"Miss Solstein, I do not question your expertise in handling small children, do not question mine in handling adolescent dunderheads like Lucas Horner. He is nearly as bad as some of my Slytherins when it comes to bullying younger children. Ah, the Infirmary."

It was straight out of Victorian times, rows of iron bedsteads with starched white sheets and flambeaux in sconces around the walls. Small chests of drawers stood beside each bed and the floor was an uncompromising white stone. It wasn't dark, the tall narrow windows letting in the cheerful sunlight and adding some slight gilding to the fluffed up pillows on the beds. It smelled of potpourri and flowers, unlike the usual antiseptic stink of medical wards, odd but not unpleasant and nothing like the modern hospitals Sandy had worked in. At the far end of the small ward, a woman in a Florence Nightingale outfit was waving her arms and muttering over the tiny child who looked lost on the expanse of white counterpane. As they approached, the woman looked up distractedly, a glimpse of sheer relief tingeing her expression.

"Severus! I'm desperate! The child is not responding to the usual remedies for morpheas malicia, and I don't know what else to try!"

Snape glided forward, his robes billowing as he took a stance opposite the medi-witch. His short wand was all but lost in his hands as he cast a revealing spell over the child and sucked a silent breath. A long thin hand dived into the black folds of his robes and a tiny crystal vial was quickly opened. A goblet leaped to Severus' hand as he measured out a few drops of the potion then added three more vials before tapping it with his wand. Pomfrey helped hold and steady the child while he carefully coaxed a few drops of the mix into the little rosebud mouth. The child mewled and shuddered but Severus massaged her throat until he swallowed. A fleeting shadow of relief flitted across the long, sallow face then Snape straightened and turned to catch Dumbledore's worried blue gaze.

"The children are dying," he said flatly, wrapping his robes around his thin form with a movement that should have been flamboyant but was more like dragging on his armour as he straightened and stiffened, his whole being radiating solid indifference.

Albus watched the hard won relaxation drain from his favourite almost son and could see the internal walls re-knit themselves before his very eyes. Severus was boarding up his humanity and literally retreating into the war mentality he had adopted during the conflict. Sympathy Flooded his soul and Dumbledore tried to convey his condolences, but Severus was untouched as he turned away, refusing to accept any comfort in the cusp of the crisis. As they watched the little girl became a slightly taller, skinnier boy. They all turned enquiring eyes to Sandy. A small mewl of distress made the old wizard smile sadly at the young woman who was covering her mouth with one hand. "Angelinus is two souls in one body; their whole being is only sustained by the magic. Without the magic, one of the souls will die and then the other will die too," Sandy said thickly, tears making it hard to swallow.

"How remarkable," Albus said softly, a wash of understanding suddenly making the situation clearer. "Ah, Miss Solstein, I am Albus Dumbledore, and I am pleased to meet you, despite this troubling situation."

"Can't you do something?" Sandy demanded, turning to include everyone, even the hovering Remus, in her desperate plea. "You're wizards! You're supposed to be all powerful!"

A strangled snort of disgust from Snape made her flinch, made them all flinch. Shaking aside Remus' detaining hand, he strode away, slamming the door after him. Remus turned imploring eyes on Albus, an unspoken plea in his gaze.

"We are wizards but we aren't all powerful, more's the pity. What can you tell me, Poppy?" Albus asked, casting his own _Acclaro_ charm over the child.

"There's more at work than the morpheas malicia, something that is destroying the boy's internal magic and for some reason, he is dying physically, not just magically."

"Can't we just put some more magic in, to compensate?" Remus asked, biting his lip in distress.

"No, Remus, it takes Dark Magic to create that sort of loop."

"And only a Dark Wizard or a Dark Creature can cast it," a soft, cold voice purred in the shadows.

Sandy gasped and stepped back as a piece of the shadow detached itself. A seemingly bodiless head drifted into their midst as Snape glided forward, his feet silent. His whole aspect had transformed entirely although no physical change had occurred. Remus put out a hand to touch his husband tentatively but was ignored as Snape circled closer to Dumbledore, never breaking eye contact as they stared at each other.

"It's time, Albus," he murmured, eyes narrowing. "We have the Dark Wizard _and_ the Dark Creature, only your word is restraining us."

"Severus, you know I…"

"Cannot? Will not, more like. Release me or the child _will_ die, you know it for a foundation truth."

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked, staring from one to the other, smelling the secrets sparking between the two powerful wizards, feeling cold currents of hostile magic poking and prying, trying to get in. He may as well have spoken to a wall as he was ignored totally while Severus wove a slow, slithering circle around Albus who refused to turn or acknowledge the taller, younger man who stalked him.

"Severus, I cannot exchange your soul for the child's. It has taken you years to recover from the last time you walked in darkness. I cannot take the risk of losing you again. Besides, there is Remus to consider. He is tied to you, Severus, by the mating bonds you both created a mere week ago. You know they weren't limited bonds, that you both exchanged half your souls and now you are both inextricably linked. If you fail to care for your own welfare, then think of Remus'!"

"Refuse this and you have lost all of us," Severus murmured, a threat wrapped in a silky black whisper. "Tell me, Remus, how does a wolf react to the threatened destruction of his cubs?"

Remus sucked a sharp, involuntary breath, his eyes narrowing and his posture becoming predatory. For the first time, Sandy could see the wolf in the small, light boned man, and it was an angry, alert beast. "No one threatens a wolf's cubs, and gets away with it, which is why they dare not let werewolves breed freely." If Severus' tone was controlled ice, Remus' was barely leashed savagery.

"For the sake of the exercise, how would you go about it?" Poppy asked without expression, breaking the stalemate.

"A warded space, a transfer of magic between myself and the children…."

"Wouldn't work, you have to cast it, you need a donor."

"A donor of what?" Sandy asked impatiently, not understanding the currents or the tension in the room. "If you need blood, their group is O positive."

All four wizards turned to stare at her as if she was barking mad. "Blood is only one aspect of the magic. They would need a magic donor too," Poppy muttered in disgust.

An epiphany suddenly struck Remus, and he gasped, turning a wide-eyed stare on his mate. "Merlin protect us! You are thinking of blood magic and… Sev, you are talking about vampire spells, having one soul feed on another, aren't you? And that's why you … you need me as the magic donor."

"You are the only Dark Creature I have access to at this time, except myself," Severus said flatly, no warmth, no encouragement in his flat onyx eyes.

"And you think a transfer of magic will help keep the cubs, I mean children, alive?"

"Long enough to find out what is killing them and counteract it."

"What he isn't telling you is that he risks activating his own genes, and you risk being drained to exhaustion and eventually death," Albus said disapprovingly.

"And if we don't, the twins will surely die," Remus concluded flatly. "What are your chances of success, Severus?"

"I am a Potions Master, the best in Britain," he said with unconscious arrogance.

Albus looked from one to the other, his normally twinkling eyes flat and opaque with worry. Severus was like a son to him, more so than his biological son, Roger, had ever been, even if the younger man would not admit to such a relationship. He had watched Severus almost destroy himself in defence of the Light and had sat more than one vigil by the Potions Master's bed when his life and sanity hung in the balance. To allow him to deliberately court Darkness was a repudiation of everything they had ever worked for, but in a way, the practice of Dark magic was Severus' birthright. The main hazard was that in resurrecting a Blood Rite, Severus could activate the recessive genes handed down to him by his mother's family and truly become a vampire, of sorts.

"Albus, please. These are our children we are trying to save, our only chance at a family," Remus pleaded softly, his amber eyes wide and worried, begging.

'_Damned puppy dog eyes!_' Albus shook his head and stared at the mates, assessing their sincerity and commitment to each other and the cause. "Poppy, what are the children's chances if nothing is done, or if we wait until the research is complete before we attempt a treatment?"

"No chance. The children are rapidly succumbing to the drainage and will be dead by nightfall, a matter of four or five hours at most," Poppy Pomfrey pronounced grimly as the form changed sex again. Sandy sniffed back more tears before turning begging eyes on the very old wizard who seemed to grow older before their eyes.

"Very well, but if something goes wrong, I may not be able to protect you, either of you."

"It's a chance we are willing to take," Remus said flatly, his eyes sliding to his partner who was still wrapped in his own personal black cloud. "Severus, what do we have to do?"


	10. Blood Rite

Chapter 09 – _Blood Rite_

The Astronomy tower was unused, the classes cancelled, the stairs and approaching corridors put out of bounds. In an unprecedented move, Professor Dumbledore even cancelled the wards that held the huge telescopic lenses in place and dismounted them for the first time in living memory. Severus hurriedly prepared the topmost area for the Ritual to be held at sunset, not an ideal time, but it was the only time they had. Runes decorated the walls, a circle marked out on the floor with two interlocking triangles cutting through the clean lines. A Cleansing Ritual, usually performed the night before the Consecration Ritual, had been hurriedly undertaken, Minerva McGonagall taking the part of the UnderVoorter. The part was not hard and needed little preparation apart from holding chalices and passing brushes so she had agreed. Fortunately, Severus did not explain that the UnderVoorter was usually the Vampire's blood bottle and slave, he was quite sure Minerva would have baulked at playing such a subservient role, even for such a good cause. Once flat viewing area was cleansed, sanctified and prepared with both potions and High Court magic it would remain empty until the main participants in the spell were in place.

There was no Family alter of carved stone so Severus decided just to use a couple of gurneys from the hospital, which would serve the purpose as they were high enough and sturdy enough. Placing them on the north/south axis with the south end oriented on the castle's magical centre, he locked the wheels and removed the pillows, leaving only the bare mattresses to pad the metallic bases. Minerva offered to transfigure them into stone but he refused the offer rather ruefully. The magic might interfere with the Ritual and that would be a disaster. Once the runes were painted on the ground and beeswax candles affixed to the appropriate points, Severus ushered Minerva away and finished the ritual by sprinkling his own blood over the runes, one drop per figure, the power immediately beginning to gather. By the time the sun set and true vampires were rising for the night, the power to enhance the Ritual would be at its peak.

The child, female again, lay flat on the gurney, her feet pointing to the castle's magical centre, her arms spread at ninety degrees to her body. Minerva, as UnderVoorter, had been slightly horrified when Severus had asked her to bared the child's torso and wash her with a potion he provided. After an internal debate, Severus smirked and reassured her, not mentioning that in his Family, the child was stripped naked so that all the Family could see for themselves that the child was perfectly formed. The potion cleansed and sanctified the skin over her jugular vein ready for the piercing so that infection would not undo all their good work. Still, what Minerva didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

Remus lay on the second gurney with the top of his head pressed against the child's, his arms also spread at ninety degrees. He was stripped to the waist also, again not as far as he would have been in a Mountain Ceremony, his torso cleansed and treated in the same way. Severus hovered over the pair, staring deep into Remus' eyes for a long moment before he drew his black wand. At a blink from Remus he drew a deep breath and steeled himself for the upcoming ritual. Raising his wand, Severus began to chant in High Court, the language of the Ural Mountains Vampire clans, the torches around the walls spontaneously bursting into flame, the candles springing alight with a still, clear flame in the same moment.

Fascinated by such a display of wandless magic, Minerva almost missed her cue but managed to step forward without disturbing the lines on the floor, offering the tray she held. Severus turned and took it with a ritual nod of his head before he turned away and Minerva's part in the Ritual was over. She stepped back, bowed, stepped back, bowed, stepped back and out the door, almost stumbling over Albus and Poppy on the top of the stairs before the door shut in their face without the help of human hand.

As head of Family, Severus invoked the Rite of Fealty, selecting various potions vials and adding the required drops to the golden Family challis in the centre of the tray. The beautifully chased cup, set with emeralds and square cut onyxes, had been central to most of the Snape Family rituals for many centuries and was imbued with a build-up of magic sympathetic to the Snape cause. The potions did not need mixing, they combined under their own influence, ready for the final ingredient in this particular Ritual, one that made it quite illegal in Britain. Admittedly, the restrictions against Blood Rites were beginning to be eased, but they were still held tight in all but bonding ceremonies. Taking up his wand once again, he tapped it to the side of the golden challis he held in his left hand.

The spell he invoked was as old as time and usually used to consecrate a child to serve as cattle to a young vampire, literally becoming a walking blood bank. Because Severus was not a vampire he had to use a rather illegal decoction he had purchased in Knockturn Alley many years before and for quite another purpose, to simulate the saliva of a vampire. He had quite adequate canine fangs if he chose to use them, but they were not hollow and he could not puncture precisely enough to make the neat bite required, nor would his saliva stop the holes from clotting, even if he did use his own teeth. Instead, he chose to use the tip of his wand, dipped in potion to make a pair of tiny, free bleeding punctures in Remus' jugular vein, catching the resultant flow in the golden challis. A second touch of his wand sealed the punctures, and he repeated the process with the child, taking a little less blood, as she was to be the receptor, not the donor.

In a slight twist to the original ceremony, Severus bared his own throat and drew his own blood in slightly less quantity to Remus' contribution but greater than Angelinus'. He could feel the strength draining out of his knees even as he sealed the wounds and carefully held the challis above the two heads touching below him. The spell was complex and one slip would kill a participant, but Severus had learned the language and the ceremony at his Grandmother's knee, and had the scars to prove he had learned it perfectly. His back and throat throbbed painfully as he formed the syllables, emphasis here, sibilant there, turn the challis three times clock wise. Take a pinch of myrrh. Stir anticlockwise with the index finger four turns; suck clean, tongue to curl twice. Ambergris, one gram and pixie skin, three square inches, powdered, ground together with a granite pestle then folded into the mixture until it is thick enough to stick to the fingers.

Transfiguring his wand into a brush, Severus drew the symbols on Remus' chest, opening a gate to allow a magical conduit to form. Remus gasped once as the magic was drawn to the surface of his skin, not damming the flow around his body but diverting a portion of it, and as a consequence, gathering a portion of his strength, ready for the use of his 'master'. The receptor on the child's chest was also drawn in blood, much smaller but equally potent and ready to accept the flow of magical energy from Remus. Before activating the conduit, Severus opened his own robes and drew a small control sigil on his own chest, connecting him to both participants. If something went wrong, the sigil would alert him in time to sever the connection so he could at least save Remus from any consequence of this folly. Because, and the tiny fraction of his soul that was not ruthlessly controlled cried out for Remus' forgiveness, if anything went wrong then the child would be sacrificed, not the werewolf!

Holding the challis with the small fraction of blood that was left above his head, Severus finished the spell, dripped the necessary drops on the two participants' foreheads, eyes and tongues, and quickly drank down the dregs himself, licking the inside of the challis clean before he slumped. Remus' eyes were now open, and he looked so sad and worried as they stared at each other, as if asking for forgiveness for some unknown misdeed. Severus half smiled at his husband and for a moment he wondered if he had done something wrong, almost anticipated the cut of his grandmother's riding crop across his shoulders, but then the spell took hold and ripped his guts out.

He screamed soundlessly, his mouth distended as he felt his magic ripped from his core. Even as he managed to control himself, Remus cried out in agony and the child gave a high-pitched gargle of protest that brought the three people hovering outside the door in at a run. Aghast, Poppy tried to run forward but was stopped by Albus, who had some knowledge of how the Ritual worked. Minerva took his lead and stopped short of the painted runes as tangible beams of magic rose from both Remus' and Severus' chests and arced toward the child who seemed to glow with the influx of pure, adult magic. Her small, frail body rose a good foot from the gurney with no visible means of support and no Wingardium Leviosa cast.

Remus and Angelinus were gasping great gulps of air, Remus almost lifting off the bed at each horridly deep breath too. The small body flickered from male to female and back again with hardly a moment's pause between forms. Finally, the child retained female form, the steady pulse of magic flowing into her chest thinning and going into the invisible spectrum as the connection settled. Slowly, her body followed, touching down on the gurney's pad with never a sound. Severus slumped to his knees, head hanging for a long, steadying moment. He too gasped as if drowning before painfully clawing his way up the gurney's frame to check the punctures on his mate's and his child's neck. They were sealed and healed, the flow of magic between the two a steady throb in his chest. He paused and bent to kiss Remus gently, fleetingly, before straightening and pulling his robe closed over the bloody marks on his thin chest.

"It is done, we have bought twenty-four hours," he said without looking at the small audience. "Do not remove the sigil or the conduit will be broken. Where is the original Muggle medicine? Thank you, Poppy. I will go straight to work."

"Are you alright, Severus?" Albus asked softly, laying a hand on one thin, black clad shoulder.

Severus hissed at him, baring his fangs then controlled himself mercilessly. "What do you think, Albus?" he sneered as he stalked away.

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is so short. I tried to spin it out more but it sort of lost impact so I chopped it back to the original revamp, if that makes sense. Oh well, I know what I mean. Hope you liked it.


	11. A Little Help From Our Friends

Chapter 10 - A Little Help from Our Friends Chapter 10 - _A Little Help from Our Friends_

The potions lab was a dark damp haven to Snape's senses as he entered, stripping off his dress robes. He banished them with never a glance, summoning his lab robe and sliding into it, the buttons doing themselves up as he Summoned a lead crystal vial to his hand. Holding up the Muggle bottle, he judged the amount and poured half the peony pink contents into the vial before re-stoppering the original bottle and setting it down on the shelf behind his desk under a stasis charm to preserve its condition for as long as necessary. Sealing the newly filled vial, he set it into the rack on his workbench.

Gliding over to the row of cauldrons he kept against the side wall, he chose a four pint pig iron and carefully set it onto a burner. Scrubbing his hands through his hair, he drifted over to the lead-lighted cupboards that decorated one wall of his classroom. Shelf upon shelf of ingredients lay behind the locked doors, some common, some rare, a number highly illegal, all held in stasis charms to keep them fresh against the need. Running an eye over the shelves, Severus selected a large jar of diagnostics potion base. He then drew out bottles, bags and boxes of various additives that would be useful in breaking down the Muggle medicine and revealing the components it had been created from. Taking his assorted armful over to the workbench, he activated his dicta-quill and poured half a cup of base into his cauldron. Flicking on the _Caminus_ spell, he allowed the fire to flare and began to heat the potion slowly and carefully before adding ten drops of his sample of medicine.

Thirty-eight attempts later, Severus blinked wearily, muttering to his quill as, again, he failed to get a good reading from the sample. There was something there, he could almost grasp it, but it was illusive and tantalisingly hidden. Sighing deeply, he poured out the failed brew and grabbed up the jar of base only to find it was empty.

"You effing bastard of a bloody fucking nightmare…" he swore irrationally, spinning and throwing the empty decanter at the far wall where it smashed with a satisfying crash. There was a shocked gasp and a small embarrassed giggle that caused him to spin crouching on his toes, his robes swirling around him. His jaw ached as instinct tried to drop non-functional fangs, and he hissed at the four seventh-years that were staring in shocked amusement at him. No one had ever seen Snape chuck a hissy-fit with accompanying breakage before. "Out!" he roared furiously.

"Sir, it's, it's potions review session," Mary Shacklebolt said with a tiny wary smile, putting down her potions text on her desk and moving very carefully so as not to startle the older man. "Professor McGonagall said the session was cancelled, but we thought we could get some practice time in as we can't afford to fail. You didn't hear us knock."

Staring at the four with narrowed slits of eyes, Snape straightened and sneered at the girl who did not back down, although she did flinch a little. "Ten points from Gryffindor. I haven't time to teach you now, and I have no time to supervise exploding cauldrons."

"Brewing base is a third-year task, and you appear to need a whole lot more, Sir," Jonas Fletcher murmured as he followed the Gryffindor girl into the classroom. "I think you can trust us not to blow that one up."

The internal debate was over before it really got started. "Brew me four batches and don't screw up," Professor Snape snapped, rubbing his temple wearily as he settled into his chair and dropped his head onto his hand while he studied the notes he had been dictating.

The students hurried to do his bidding, trying to move as smoothly and as silently as the Professor always did when he was brewing. Lucinda Harris raised an eyebrow when she spotted the bottle of baby medicine above the teacher's desk but only shrugged when Mike Parkinson asked her what it was in a hushed whisper. All four were senior potions students, taking their NEWTs at the end of the year, and all four knew the recipe for base off by heart. They were somewhat surprised to be allowed to invade their Professor's ingredients cabinets unsupervised but, although Jonas' fingers itched to pry into various bags and boxes, he restrained himself. Working in pairs, they hammered out the first two batches, cooling and bottling them hurriedly. As soon as Lucinda spoke to Snape, he all but snatched the first jar with barely a grunt of thanks, sniffed it delicately, his long thin nostrils flaring to test the scent.

"Very good, ladies and gentlemen, a perfect batch," he murmured as he poured another half cup into the cauldron and immersed himself in his work again. The four students looked at each other, shrugged and went back to brewing again.

They were again marginally shocked some half hour later when their professor sat down hard on the edge of the bench muttering. "Oh fucking hell," under his breathe again and again. The cauldron he had been working with was a frozen lump, the _caminus_ spell under it destroyed and its contents turned into a dirty green ice cube.

"What's wrong, Sir? Did we screw up?" Mike asked cautiously, thinking it should not be possible for a person as pale as Snape to get even whiter, or greener.

"What? No, no, you all did well," Snape muttered distractedly then snapped his full attention onto the four students pinning them to the spot. "Clear the decks; I want each of you to test my method. I hope I am wrong but…. Clear up the residue. Take a number four cauldron out and put in a half cup of base. Bring it up to one hundred and ten degrees imperial using a copper rod in figure of eight patterns to ensure the mix is evenly heated. Put six pairs of dragonfly wings and the inner skin of a common squid, half a square inch, into a marble mortar and use the pestle to pulverise them thoroughly. Add an eighth of a fluid ounce of sesame oil to the mortar and create a paste. Divide the paste into seven portions and add all the paste to the base, one lump at a time once every two minutes. Stir counter-clockwise with the copper stick until the mix turns yellow. Bring the temperature up to one hundred and fifty degrees imperial and add ten drops of this concoction. Stir clockwise ten times then tell me what you get."

Impressed, the students followed the instructions obsessively, precisely, perfectly, and all four jumped back hurriedly, covering their faces as their cauldrons gave off the unmistakable odour and sparks indicating the presence of _direstium._

"Yes, that's what I thought, too," Snape snarled, instantly casting _obrigesco_ charms over all four cauldrons and revoking the forge fire spells. "You will say nothing of this outside this room; do I need to use a compulsion charm?"

"No, sir, but what is it? How come…" Jonas Fletcher began to ask.

"_Direstium_ is outlawed, it is sort of like anti-magic and it can suck a wizard dry in a few weeks, and it's addictive. Once you get a taste for it, you can't stop using it until it kills you." Mary Shacklebolt said harshly.

"You are your father's daughter, ten points to Gryffindor," Snape remarked with a smirk as he strode over to the fireplace and snatched up a handful of Floo powder. "Malfoy Manor, Lord Malfoy."

The student exchanged glances as the fire turned green and a pale blond head appeared in the flames. "Severus, a pleasure, as always--"

"Stuff it, Draco, I need you and Hermione here, now," Snape snapped, cutting his godson off most rudely.

"Who put a bee up your bum?" Draco asked huffily. "Really, Severus, your manners are appalling! Why should I…. No! Severus! Stop it!"

Snape reached through the flames, wrapped a long, thin hand around Malfoy's throat and simply plucked him through the flames holding him out at shoulder height without any visible strain. "I do not have time for this nonsense! I have just discovered _direstium_ in a Muggle medicine, which was inadvertently given to my new charge, and to keep the children alive, I have tied Remus' magic to them and to myself. I am on a tight schedule and have only a few hours before both my husband and children are past the point of no return. I am not in the mood to be charming, polite or even civil. Now get fucking Hermione!" He thrust Draco back through the flames and turned away.

"You only had to ask." Draco coughed, massaging his throat even as he disappeared from the flames.

In less than five minutes both Malfoys stepped into the potions lab, Draco nodding to the four students who were still hovering by the student benches. "What do you need, Severus?"

"Hermione, do you recognise this? Good. How common is it?"

"Any Muggle mother who has a teething baby probably uses it. It's safe, tastes good and readily available over the counter, and cheap too," Hermione replied promptly. "Why, what is this all about?"

"_Direstium,_ do you remember it?"

"Oh yes, too well. Isn't that what Caroline Blacklake tried to put into the water supply at Grimmauld Place during the war? Let me see if I recall the Encyclopaedia definition now. _'In the first dose or two it enhances and boosts a person's magic by up to one hundred percent. Subsequent doses make the person believe they are better but it is a false sense of power as the direstium is actually consuming and destroying the magic in their soul until they are little better than Squibs. Worse, the insidious poison burns up their physical energy, which also damages their internal organs. Because the victim is straining to use the magic to the point of destruction, they eventually die of exhaustion.'_" She smiled, having recited the textbook definition word perfectly, and then her expression grew worried as the sense impacted. "Oh my! And you think it's in the… Oh Merlin! Then many a Muggle-born witch or wizard will fail to develop magic if they are given this stuff as a baby. They will not do themselves damage, but they will never know their magic because they never truly control it. Good God, that's insidious!" Hermione gasped as a sneer twisted Snape's face.

"But it is one very secure way to get rid of Mudbloods and half-breeds, don't you think?"

If looks could kill, Snape would have dropped dead at that point, and even Draco and the students drew back from the brown haired witch. "You know, Severus, you are truly evil at times! What do you want me to do?"

"I have just over twelve hours left to find a cure. I need 'useful' input, anything you can find on _direstium,_ its effects, symptoms and treatments. Draco, we need to know if this bottle is the only contaminated one, so I need you to send your people around the country and get me some samples of this stuff from as many Muggle towns as possible. Parkinson and Fletcher, start making me base, lots of it. Shacklebolt and Harris, mix up batches of additive so that the test can be run as quickly as possible."

"And what are you going to do, Severus?" Draco asked, one foot poised on the edge of the fireside.

"Find out who is making this shit and then go stuff it down their throats!"

All three older magicals exchanged smiles of pure vindictive pleasure that made the younger generation wonder just what sort of people their teacher and his friends were.

oo0oo

Hermione burst through the Floo and staggered out of the hearth, books and wads of parchment clutched to her chest. "It's not much but I think I got it all!" she gasped as she wove dexterously through the rows of cauldrons tended by the four students. "Goodness Gracious! Have you children been fed? Honestly, Severus, you are a slave driver!"

Severus ignored her while he continued to add newt tails one at a time to his bubbling cauldron while muttering the words of the spell. Hermione watched in amused silence that slowly turned to concern when she realised there was a slight tremor in the man's usually rock steady hands. As soon as he finished the chore, she offered him a small vial she took from the cabinet on the left. "It's just a fortifying potion unless you have taken to changing labels," she said in exasperation at his glare.

Still glaring, Severus upended the vial into his mouth and gulped it all down with a shudder. "I hate that crap," he muttered, stirring the brew with a glass rod in precise figure of eight motions. "Pass me the bloodwort, please."

"What are you brewing?" Hermione asked, proffering the requested jar.

"A signature tracer, I hope. Let's face it, the potion is an advanced one and most likely brewed at a Master level. Anyone who gets their Masters in Potions tends to be an arrogant sod and yes, it's the voice of experience talking. Most Masters add inert ingredients to make the signature more readily visible, especially in the patented potions. Most are not so arrogant as to label illicit substances, but the majority are not good enough to eliminate their trace entirely and it can be found if searched for diligently."

"And can you hide your signature thoroughly?" Hermione asked almost teasingly only to receive an evil smirk in return.

"What do you think?"

She laughed delightedly.

Severus clicked his fingers and held out a hand for the parchment, leafing through hurriedly then turning back and forward between the pages, reading intently. "This? Is this all there was in the book? Damn! I was hoping my copy was incomplete but it seems to be all there. Damn!" He kicked the table leg hard. "Alright, if we use this research as a basis for what we need to do and use the detection potion as the opposite side of the problem, where does that leave us?"

Hermione slipped behind the desk and read over his shoulder as he traced the lines of text she had copied from the book. "Maybe extract of bitterroot mixed with nicotine and raspberry seeds?" she offered thoughtfully.

"Have to use a trembling charm to stop them spontaneously combusting in the cauldron."

"Yes, or at least until we added mugwort and swamp grass for internal trembling."

"Aspen leaves would be more effective and would bring in a hint of Light at the same time."

"True. Severus, are you alright?" Hermione asked suddenly, realising the man beside her was trembling all over and sweating.

Swearing bitterly, Severus turned to the nearest sink and was copiously sick. Fortifying potion mixed with stale blood sent Hermione's eyebrows shooting up. When the convulsive heaves subsided, she eased him over to a stool and offered a cloth and a drink of water to wash his mouth out. Scrabbling through the nearest shelf, she searched for some sort of stomach potion until Severus snapped at her to stop fussing!

"Fussing? You are vomiting like a fountain and there's a lot of old blood and you don't want me fussing? Either you have a bleeding ulcer or you have been doing something very silly, Severus Snape! Now you tell me immediately or else…." Worry clouded Hermione's judgement for a second before she realised she had gone too far. The man in front of her morphed into evil incarnate without moving a muscle, and she suddenly felt she was a gauche schoolgirl again. "I'm sorry, Professor," she apologised hastily, dropping her eyes.

"That will be all, Miss Granger," he hissed in deadly smooth tones that sent a shiver of dread down her spine.

Apologising again, she backed away and fled up to where the students were gathered in a tight huddle. They sent her commiserating looks as they made room for her in their small circle. The tall man rose in a swirl of darkness and went back to brewing his potion in utter, icy silence, alone.

oo0oo

Hours passed while Snape studied the heavy tombs and pieces of parchment he sent the students off to fetch. Occasionally he simply held out his hand and said _Accio_, one of his own books flying to obey the summons. He jotted a thousand notes in his fine, copperplate script, sometimes biting the end of his quill thoughtfully. Draco returned with a collection of Muggle medicine bottles, listened while Hermione aired her grievances and worries about their former professor but didn't disturb the man's formidable concentration. With charm and enthusiasm, Draco suggested the students assist himself and his wife to test the bottles of medicine they had collected and mark the results on the map, red for contaminated, blue for clean. Hermione suggested marking the contaminated batch numbers on the bottles so they didn't get mixed up. While the three of the students tested under Draco's supervision, the remaining student helped Hermione create a never ending supply of base potion and additive paste.

Suddenly an electric feel sparked the air, as the black clad wizard seemed to stiffen alert. He grabbed one of the first books he had discarded, leafed through it hurriedly then slapped his forehead in disgust.

"Hermione, have you changed anything in the Malfoy library? Good. In the fifth case to the left of the door and on the bottom shelf there should be a slim volume called '_A thesis on the Movement Within Magical Conduits_' by Singalli Snape, do you know if it is still there?"

"I'll look," Hermione said hurriedly and disappeared into the Floo only to appear a few minutes later, laying the book desk before him. "You have a good memory; it was exactly where you said it would be."

Smirking, Severus carefully opened the ancient, crackling parchment and began to read the wild and heretical theory written by one of his ancestors regarding the movement of magic through a human body. Using the information he had gathered and the mad speculation of his many greats uncle, Snape drew a new piece of parchment forward and outlined his theory on how _direstium_ worked, how it affected wizards and how it could be neutralised within the body. The two part solution, a mix of brewing and wand work, seemed to be viable, and he smiled in satisfaction as he waved the Malfoys over to check his work. Despite his rude and off-hand comments he had a great deal of respect for the younger couple's abilities as Potions brewers and intelligent Charms makers.

"Think you can follow these instructions?" he asked when the couple had finished.

"It's complex and high level stuff, but yes, it seems complete," Draco mused, waving his hand to practice a wand movement that accompanied the charm. Severus had drawn tiny, detailed illustrations to show exactly how a swish or a flick should be accomplished and he was very good. "A platinum cauldron?" One eyebrow rose in surprise. "Do we have one?"

"_Accio_ cauldron, special order," Severus murmured and a softly shining, silvery cauldron came to his hand almost instantly. "We do."

"Then yes, I think we can do it." Draco consulted his wife with his eyes and nodded decisively.

"Good," Severus said almost cheerfully and slid off his stool in a dead faint.


	12. Living in Dreamtime

**Author's Note:** Just a quick word to all you guys who have been reviewing this stuff I produce. I really do appreciate all your comments and suggestions. Sometimes you wonder why you do it, writing, I mean, then you open the inbox and there are comments, reviews and suggestions that make it all worth while. I am the world's worst reviewer, I prefer to leave my comments to the end of a story so that when it is complete I can just gulp it down in one big sitting. So, thank Merlin the world is not made up of people like me! LOL. I really apprecate your comments and look forward to hearing from anyone who cares to write.

REgards

LEs

**Chapter 11 - _Living in Dreamtime_**

Remus laid spread out on the gurney like a sacrificial offering staring up through his eyelashes at the remote aspect of his husband. Severus' expressions had never been easy to read, but in this guise he was as blank as stone. Asking him to perform a Blood Rite was a hard and vicious thing to do to a man who had consciously given up so much to avoid being taken by the Dark. '_But it is necessary to save the children,_' a small voice in the back of his head insisted, persisted in excusing the method. And what was the Muggle saying?

'_The road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions._'

'_Forgive me, Severus, for putting you into such a position, but I can no more stop protecting my cubs, even so recently acquired cubs as ours, than stop living. It's a wolf thing._'

For a second, anguish and understanding flashed in those obsidian eyes, and Remus wondered if Severus had heard the thought, then someone reached into his chest and tried to drag out his lungs.

oo0oo

The air was hot, the sun high and bright, the light holding a strangely metallic orange tint. The spring robes Remus wore were sticking to his back most uncomfortably. Lying still, he could hear strange sounds; foreign birds singing alien songs, insects were buzzing and whirring in the hot sun, sheep bleating in the distance. There was a tree trunk behind his shoulders, the bark papery and rustling. Under his slightly curled hand the grass was dry and brown, crumbling and dusty. Sniffing surreptitiously, Remus smelled dust; animals, probably the sheep and overwhelming them all were the scent of humans, very young humans, the scent of children. He opened his eyes cautiously and almost flinched.

Two faces were merely inches away from his nose, two sets of brown eyes peering into his face, two tiny frowns wrinkling their brows as they stared. One, the honey blonde haired child, Angelina, poked his chin with a small, rather grubby forefinger and Remus twitched a small smile. This was what had woken him, he realised.

At the smile they both stepped back a little, and he was allowed his first proper look at the twins he and Severus had inherited. They were no more identical than any brother and sister despite being twins. Angelina was the shorter of the two, sturdy bodied and limbed with curls and a calmly commanding expression as she stared down at him. Linus was at least two inches taller but much thinner, his arms and legs longer and thinner, his torso shorter, his hair darker and straighter. In fact, he looked a lot like Remus imagined Severus looked as a small child, long and skinny. They both had very dark brown eyes, straight little noses and the chubby round faces of young children just coming out of babyhood. They were dressed identically in identical sized clothes, a yellow t-shirt with Winnie the Pooh on it, snug and long on Angelina, loose and short on Linus. Blue shorts fitted Angel well but were loose and droopy on Linus, held up by the identical belt his sister wore as decoration. Blue flip-flops, fitting on Linus, too big on Angelina, protected their feet from the dry, spiky grass. Both children were sun bronzed and slightly grubby, the dust clinging to their legs, the sun striking red highlights from their hair.

"Gudai," said Angelina, Linus nodding silently.

"Hello," Remus replied as he struggled to sit up and take in his surroundings. "Where are we?"

"This is home. Who're you?"

"Remus Lupin-Snape, your uncle Severus' husband. Do you know about your uncle Severus?"

The boy nodded cautiously, but the girl dug her fists into her hips, cocked her head on one side and glared at him belligerently. "You talk funny, like a Pommy. Why are you here and not Uncle Sev'rus? Where's Sandy? We don't want to go to Pommyland! We want our Mum and Dad!"

"I know, and I'm sorry that your parents had to leave you, but even with a time turner, it's not wise to change what has been. Sandy brought you to England but you are sick at the moment, so I have been sent into the dream to keep you company while Severus is looking for a cure for you. So this is your home, do you want to show it to me?"

Angelina chuffed out an impatient breath then glanced at her brother briefly before they both nodded. Remus smiled at the silent communication and stood up carefully, holding a hand out to each child. He let them tow him up what appeared to be an expanse of dry lawn toward an enormous house of white painted wooden boards. It had what appeared to be corrugated iron on the roof and a wide porch that circled right around the visible part of the building. As they stepped up onto the porch, the landscape that seemed to go on forever blurred a little and the yellow painted half door with mesh wire in the top half opened of its own accord. Inside was cool and dim, a patterned hall runner muffling their footsteps as they went toward the back of the house where another bright filled doorway waited. A huge woman was bustling around the kitchen, her skin a dark brown, and her hair black and plaited down her back. She shuffled around a large kitchen table, her hands darting much faster than the rest of her moved as she worked at making something. Remus couldn't tell what she was doing except that it involved flour. He had the impression that she was the station cook, something more than a servant, much more than a mere employee, a beloved family retainer.

She smiled a huge, white smile when she saw the children and shuffled over to the white refrigerator near the back door, opening it to reach in and pull out two square colourful boxes. They took the boxes with polite thanks, poked white tubes into them and slurped thirstily. Remus wished he could have some of the juice too as he was somewhat thirsty, but the woman didn't seem to see him. When they ate the biscuits she handed them, Remus felt a slight wash of dizziness flow over him and he frowned.

When the children had finished their drinks and snacks, they gave the containers back to the woman and went into the hallway, leading him to another room, obviously their bedroom. There was only one bed but neither seemed to find that strange, both sharing the edge where they perched comfortably. Remus pulled out the desk chair and sat down carefully. He was surprised when he felt the wood under his buttocks and allowed his full weight to sink onto the seat. They studied each other over the distance of the room width, curious in their own ways. Remus was slowly drawing conclusions from his experiences and had decided this was something like a Pensieve memory but not quite. He was in the children's minds using their memories as a framework they could understand while they were joined.

The boy, all but silent and still until then, rose and moved over to the bookshelf, pulling down a hard-backed book and offering it to his sister. She nodded approval and passed it over to Remus with an order to '_read this to us_'.

The book was about a small creature called a possum and it was in the house. At parts even Remus had to laugh, the children giggling wildly as the family tried to corner the terrified creature. They obviously knew the book by heart as they mouthed the words in time to Remus' reading. After the possum book came a book about an old lady who had lost her memories and another about a pokey puppy. Finally, just before Remus thought he would lose his voice completely, the children decided to go out and eat their tea.

Following the children into the dining room, he was surprised to see two adults already seated at the table. The man was a large sturdy specimen, blond curls cropped fairly short, eyes blue and sun crinkled. He was broad and solid, sun burned and cheerful as he reached out to ruffle the children's hair. Remus could see elements of his facial and body structure in both children when he studied the group. With an experienced hand, he helped Linus into his seat and poured a glass of water for him. The woman was undoubtedly Severus' cousin, the same body and face shape but her hair was dark brown rather than black, as were her eyes. She helped Angelina up into her chair, her eyebrow rising in the same interrogative way Sev's did when the girl pointed to Remus and remarked that he was Uncle Severus' husband. It was obvious the woman - Lachrima - could not see Remus, but she didn't scoff; she merely nodded and poured her daughter a glass of water.

The family ate and drank what looked like a very good meal while Remus looked on and grew hungrier and hungrier as the meal progressed. Still, he'd been hungry before and was used to ignoring the pangs that came from his belly. The thirst was another thing entirely, a desiccating of his lips that made him desperate for pumpkin juice or spring water or even a couple of mouthfuls of lake.

After the meal the household's routine ground on, the table being cleared by the kitchen staff while the husband and children went into the sitting room and watched Muggle TV before the children were taken upstairs by their mother and bathed in a very shallow bath of mere inches. Remus noted that the water was carefully bailed out of the bath and into a big bucket rather than let away down the drain then he remembered how dry the place was and what Sandy had said about the drought. Lachrima put her children to bed, their father came in and kissed them goodnight, then the light was turned out and silence reigned.

Not knowing what to do with himself while they slept, Remus found a spot on the rug and lay down with a book from the shelves, but in seconds he was sound asleep.

oo0oo

It had taken a lot of magic to levitate the two gurneys holding Remus and the small child but eventually Albus and Poppy had manoeuvred the beds down the stairs leading to the Astronomy tower. It would probably have been easier to lift the unconscious bodies and levitate them on their own but neither the medi-witch nor the headmaster was entirely sure what the effect of separating their heads would have been. Albus had thought briefly to go and ask Severus, but when it came to the crunch neither he nor Poppy had the courage to go knock on the Potions Laboratory door. So, using all their magical capacity and imagination, the two magicals had managed the transfer to the infirmary wing with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of bad language, enough to make the more timid portraits blush and vacate their frames. Once back in the infirmary wing, Madam Pomfrey had carefully orientated the gurneys so that they duplicated their positioning from upstairs and set her diagnostic spells in place with more than usual care.

"They're all asleep, including Remus," Madame Pomfrey said softly, checking her monitoring spell. "Everything seems to be fine at the moment, although there was a distinct drain on Remus' resources that peaked here and here." Poppy pointed out the places to Albus who combed his beard with a thoughtful hand.

"Er, excuse me," a small voice piped up, and both older wizards turned to smile almost in bemusement at the woman who had sat so still and silent the whole afternoon. "I know it's rather presumptuous of me but, er, shouldn't you give the guy a drink or something? His lips look really dry and you know if you sleep with your mouth open…. Sorry, I am an enrolled nurse … sorry, forget it," she stammered and bit her lip.

"No, no, my dear, don't be sorry. It's a very good point actually. Never thought of that, as magic tends to take care of the less pleasant tasks through the bed. Poppy, my dear, what do you think?"

"Seems a reasonable assumption as he is technically not ill and the spells on the gurney will not compensate for a well person. However, I think we will give him an ice cube rather than a drink."

Remus' tongue was much longer than the normal human's and dry. It snaked out to capture the ice straight out of Poppy's fingers, crunching it eagerly between his teeth. '_Well, that settles _that_ question,_' Poppy's eyebrow seemed to say as she offered another piece of ice which met the same fate as its fellow.

"I wonder if he would take some fortified soup," Albus mused as he watched the werewolf devour the ice. "After all, he is not sick, merely providing sustenance for three. The trouble with non-human magic is that they tend to shroud it in mystery and very few get to study it properly, its effects and affects."

"So does that mean that Severus Snape is not really human?" Sandy asked softly as the older woman bustled off to brew some soup.

Albus twinkled at her. "Oh no, Severus is almost entirely human. His family thought he might not be and were preparing him to become a vampire during pre-puberty in the old tradition. It would have meant they would be able to claim the rest of the Snape legacy. Unfortunately, the boy's recessive genes stayed recessive no matter how hard they tried to activate them. And believe me; they tried some very crude and cruel methods to activate them! His Hogwarts letter was the final nail in the coffin of that ambition, so to speak. They couldn't disinherit him from the human half of the entailed estates, but he chose not to go back there once he realised he could stay here at Hogwarts for the holidays. There was an unfortunate brush with some bad influences when he was sixteen, no doubt inspired by his father's family, but he survived that trail by fire. He has been teaching here nearly thirty of his fifty years and is an excellent Potions Master and a fairly successful teacher."

"What about this guy, Remus, what's his story? He seems – sweet."

"Remus is a very good man, good family, not rich by any means but well bred. He was bitten as a small child and had to learn to live with lycanthropy during what was probably the harshest period of racial tension in wizarding history. I'm afraid Minister Fudge did everything in his power to drive the non-human sector of our population over to the Dark Side, but they failed eventually. Remus almost single-handedly convinced the non-humans to take no sides or, if they felt they had to strike a blow, to strike it for the Light. Severus worked for the Order as a spy and our eyes in the Dark camp, which nearly killed him on so many occasions; I hesitate to confess that I lost count. They both worked tirelessly for our victory, and in the last battle Severus managed to neutralise Lord Voldemort's familiar single-handedly. Harry actually destroyed the Dark Lord, but he would not have managed it except for Severus' carefully gathered intelligence. In the aftermath Severus was illegally sent to Azkaban then later exonerated. Both men were duly decorated for their parts in winning the war. They will take very good care of the children; I do assure you of that."

"Yeah, I guess but, it's just…" The girl heaved a great sigh.

"It's hard to give up your little ones to an unknown and unrecognised force."

"Yeah, that's it exactly. Okay, you insist they are both war heroes and good men but come on! Would you trust the raising of two small kids to someone who was a 'war hero', who's only claim to fame is that one was good for persuading non-humans not to go Dark and the other to spy on Forces of Evil then allow two wizards to cast a nasty curse on each other?"

Dumbledore paused then smiled, his blue eyes twinkling brightly as he contemplated the Squib before him. "When you put it like that…. However, I was trying to assure you that my professors are both upstanding wizards with good morals and characters. While Severus is not the warmest of wizards, he is honest, morally sound and used to dealing with children. Remus is fiercely loyal as only a wolf can be, honest, kind, morally sound and very good at dealing with children. Both will make excellent surrogate parents for the children."

There was a flurry of activity at the entrance to the ward and a mixed group of students and adults came barrelling in floating a cloud of darkness between them. Dumbledore hurried forward as the pale blond man directed them to put their burden down on the nearest bed. Sandy edged closer as the brown haired woman herded the four students out of the way so that Madam Pomfrey could get near the patient, waving him into a private room.

"Oh bloody hell, he's gone off again!" she snapped exasperatedly, but her actions were fast and decisive as small bottles and jars flew to her hands. "Well, don't just stand there, Sandy, help me get him out of these impossibly complicated robes he insists on wearing.

"Best offer I've had all week," Sandy mumbled under her breath, and the brown haired woman giggled. "Sorry, making snippy comments under my breath is a bad habit of mine."

"That's alright, I do it too, especially when Poppy is being the hospital Nazi. I am Hermione Granger-Malfoy."

"I'm Sandy Solstein." The two women shook hands, and both hurried to help Poppy tend to the fallen, the door closing behind them.

Dumbledore turned to the four students who were looking very tired and extremely curious as they clustered around Draco Malfoy, obviously awaiting further developments. Draco nodded politely as the headmaster came over, manners overriding his obvious concern for his Godfather. "Good evening, Draco, I had not realised you and Hermione were at school this evening."

Draco smiled politely. "Family obligations, you know how it is," he offered airily. "Uncle calls, we come immediately."

"And how were our students involved?"

"As willing troops I think, 'into the breach…' and all that Shakespeare stuff. Severus had drafted them into making potions for him to blow up, tip out or boil away in various creative ways. He even said, and please don't faint, Headmaster, that they had done very well," Draco whispered theatrically, making the students squirm and smile uncomfortably.

"Well done, Gryffindor and Slytherin. However, I think it is time you were all in your beds; it is well past midnight after all. I will escort you." Having said that, the Headmaster made gathering motions and herded the four out of the infirmary leaving Draco to his own devices. With little else to do, Draco found a fairly comfortable chair, flopped into it and promptly went off to sleep.


	13. Dealing with the Fallen

Chapter 12 - Dealing with the Fallen Chapter 12 - _Dealing with the Fallen_

Hearing a very familiar voice raised in querulous argument, Remus smiled to himself as he blinked awake. What was irritating Severus at this time of the morning? He glanced around curiously when he realised he was still dressed in his good clothes. It was not morning, but late night, the curtains mostly closed and stars twinkling in the gaps. He was laying on a narrow gurney that was totally uncomfortable, in the middle of the Infirmary's aisle. As he sat up he raised his eyebrows when he spotted Draco Malfoy elegantly draped across a chair, sound asleep. '_He m__ust be one of the few people in the world to be able to sleep in that position, _and_ keep his mouth shut!_' Remus speculated mischievously as he carefully rolled to his feet and stretched mightily.

The sight of a tiny child curled up on a gurney head to head with his own made him blink, the previous day's events Flooding in on him in a series of snapshots. Checking his chest, he saw that the diagrams Severus had drawn in blood were no longer present. Whether they had been washed away or soaked into his skin, he didn't know, but he did feel a little weary so he assumed it - whatever _'it'_ was - had worked.

Leaning over the child, a boy at this point, Remus smiled when he realised his thumb was firmly plugged into his mouth and he was sleeping deeply and dreamlessly. Something deep in Remus' chest twisted, and he realised that he would kill to protect this tiny scrap of humanity. It was an odd thought, almost a repudiation of his attitude on killing and he wondered why.

The wolf, usually so deeply buried that it rarely troubled his daily existence, suddenly made itself known in the most primitive way possible. This was the pack's cub, he was one of the alpha pair, and it was his duty to protect and nurture the child, or die trying. That's what love was all about. On another level, the children were now bound to him '_human_' and him '_wolf_', by magical bonds that had been set up by his bonded mate. They were intangible, unexpected and unbreakable, and a wash of wonder lifted Remus' heart with joy. Brushing a stray lock of hair aside, he dropped a kiss on the child's smooth brow then girded his loins for the upcoming battle with his irascible husband. Ties of love, soul, law and magic might bind Severus to him, but that didn't stop the curmudgeon having a temper tantrum every now and again.

Severus sat on the bed with his arms folded tightly over his chest and glared impartially at the three women who stood over him in various attitudes of 'kill'. Poppy's foot tapped angrily on the marble tiles, steam almost coming out of her ears. Hermione's fists were dug deeply into her hips, elbows akimbo as she glared. Sandy's arms were firmly crossed over her chest and her bottom lip stuck out pugnaciously.

"Severus Snape! I have been treating you, man and boy, since you were eleven years old and I have absolutely no designs on you virtue apart from getting you into these pyjamas. Now for goodness sake, act your age, man!"

"Those flannelette monstrosities are an affront to the name, to say nothing of the senses, and I wouldn't be seen dead in them, even in this bloody infirmary!" Severus volleyed back flatly.

"That can be arranged," Hermione muttered under her breath to Sandy who smothered a giggle.

"I heard that, Miss Granger," came the icy purr.

"And if you took the time to use your very fine brain, you would know that I am not 'Miss Granger' and therefore your censure is irrelevant," Hermione replied pertly.

If looks were _Avada Kedavra_ then Hermione would have dropped down dead in that moment, and Remus shook his head, deciding it was time to intervene before they degenerated into name calling. The small movement drew Severus' eye, and his jaw dropped when he saw his husband peering in at the door of the private room. Discovered, Remus eased carefully into the small room and smiled tentatively. The three women were no help as they turned to stare at the new intruder in various stages of astonishment.

"What are you doing awake?" Severus demanded, swinging his long legs off the bed and trying to stand. He staggered; listing left until Remus caught him around the waist and eased him back onto the mattress.

"You woke me up with your complaining. It looks as though you are in worse condition than me. What _have_ you been doing? And what have you done to yourself now?" he asked, holding his hand out behind his back and wriggled his fingers for the offending garments to be deposited in his grasp.

Poppy placed the fabric in his questing fingers then quietly slipped away, the other two following her at her signal. Remus carefully laid the nightclothes on the bed and pulled his wand to transfigure them into one of the soft cotton nightshirts Severus preferred. Lifting his hands, Remus began to unbutton Sev's tailored shirt with a slightly inquiring air that caused Severus to sigh and lose his belligerence.

"My own stupid fault, I'm afraid. Granger remembered to feed the brats, but I was busy so I didn't stop to gorge. Granger gave me a fortifying potion…."

"Oh dear, was it the blue one?" Remus remarked, pausing in his unbuttoning to frown up at Severus. "You vomited it all up, I assume?"

"Oh yes, violently!" Severus confirmed with relish, making Remus chuckle. "I thought I had removed the entire supply of the potion but I must have missed a bottle or two. Trust Granger to find the stray. Still, the look on her face was brilliant!"

"Severus! Behave! Put your arm in here. Good. So, when did you eat? Oh bloody hell, no wonder you went down like a bag of rags. When did you last eat properly? It was probably the night before last as you barely touched your breakfast this morning or the scones at the Thirsty Dragon. Honestly, Severus, when are you going to learn, you have to take in to put out. Your health is not what it used to be and you must learn to take better care of yourself," Remus lectured in exasperation as he eased his partner into bed. "Do you have any of the vitamin potions you are _not_ allergic to ready?"

"Oh, Poppy has some somewhere. I am more interested in why you are moving around and are so chirpy? Blood magic tends to turn people into dull-eyed cattle until the spell is revoked. How is the child? I think I have the damned poison identified and an antidote worked out. I gave Draco the recipe as, between him and Granger; they make a fairly competent brewer." He grinned evilly when a strangled squawk of outrage sounded from beyond the door. Remus slapped his arm in retaliation although he couldn't keep his grin entirely controlled. Severus kissed Remus on the nose then yawned noisily. "Oh dear, excuse me. I think, you know, I really should get some sleep."

"Yes indeed, much more dignified than passing out," Remus agreed, tongue-in-cheek, helping him down the bed and pulling the bedclothes up to his chin only to have his wrist grasped.

"Stay with me," Severus murmured softly, his eyes already closed, his breathing settling into sleep even as he finished speaking.

"Yes, Sev, of course I will," Remus murmured into the black hair as he eased the thin arm under the covers again. Sighing deeply, he folded his partner's clothes and slipped out of the private space to face the four people waiting in the body of the ward. "He's exhausted himself, that's all. He hasn't eaten for over thirty-six hours, and I assume he has been working like a demon while I was out for the count. So, what has his work produced?" Remus turned his attention to Draco, who looked all of twelve years old with his ruffled hair and sleepy eyes.

"Humm, the solution is brilliant really. Looks like he invented an effective treatment for _Direstium_ addiction in less than twelve hours; complete with potions and wand work back-up documentation. I knew the old boy was brilliant but to see genius at work is a little daunting. All it needs now is someone to test it on and I think I have the perfect candidate. I'll arrange that for tomorrow, never fear. I will also keep the notes and stuff safe, of course, and make sure he gets the patents registered tomorrow…."

"What patents?" Remus blinked stupidly.

"Of course it needs patenting. My dear Remus, this will be invaluable to so many people that I expect it will make you both a tidy fortune. Suppose you were a parent with an addicted child. How much would you pay for the cure?"

"Draco! No! How can you hold people to ransom for their children's well-being?" Remus protested, shocked to his core.

Draco blinked then smiled maliciously. "The people who can afford to support a _Direstium_ habit can certainly afford to pay the price to be cured. And if Severus' fears prove to be true then we are going to be giving the cure away to Muggles for free without them even knowing they were poisoned in the first place. Relax, Remus; there will be nothing to upset your very Gryffindor conscience, I promise. Anyway! I'm taking my lovely wife and going home to get at least five hours sleep this night. Come on, Wild Hair, time to go home."

"What have I told you about that particular nick name, Draco Malfoy?" Hermione protested, their loving bickering voices fading as they headed for the nearest Floo exit.

Smiling to himself, Remus turned and nodded to Poppy. "Do you want to cast _Acclaro_ over me and see if I am really as fit as I feel? Umm, how does it look?"

"It looks very interesting. Let me see - you have an outgoing flow of energy, not a lot, just a trickle at the moment, going to the child. That's amazing. The vampire spell is still in force and it is still working but it is not sucking you dry. You seem to be in good condition, a little low on nutrients perhaps, but not too bad at all. In fact, you are a lot less depleted than Severus. I wonder what it all means." Poppy frowned deeply, all but scratching her head. "So, let's see what the child reveals. _Confiteor_. Humm. There's incoming energy from you, just a tiny trickle. And something else - nothing bad, Remus, don't panic - just different. I don't know what Severus did, but it doesn't seem to be too dangerous at the moment. What worries me is that Hermione said there was a lot of old blood when Severus vomited. Now, I do know something of the Dark Arts, and I know very well that the Dark Practitioner is not supposed to throw up the partially digested blood half way through a currently invoked spell. Whether this would curtail the spell or make it worse, I don't know, but as soon as I get a chance I am going to have a look in the library's Restricted Section and see what I can see."

"Well, I feel fine, and you tell me I am well, so perhaps there will be no consequences after all." Remus sighed before turning to the girl who was looking a little shop worn and exhausted. "So, Sandy, if I may use your first name? How are you managing to cope with all of our eccentricities?" Remus asked the young woman with a humorous twist to his wide, mobile mouth.

"I have never seen so much magic used with such nonchalance in all my life, it's fascinating! You're a lot different from Aussie wizards who tend to be a bit self-conscious when they use magic, sort of 'not very Okka', if you see what I mean?"

"Ah, Aussies are not really comfortable with swish and flick then?" Remus asked, tongue-in-cheek and Sandy laughed aloud as she nodded. "I met a couple of Aussies during the War who came over to show the flag. They were bloody good scrappers but appallingly bad at everyday magic, no sense of rhythm or flow. Poppy, is it alright if Sandy kips in here tonight? Severus wants me close, and I assume the kids will want Sandy as soon as they wake up in a strange place."

"Of course she can. I have a spare bed in my quarters if you like or you can bunk up on one of the ward beds. Remus dear, can you see if you can get some of that fortified soup into Severus? He is such a fool about looking after himself and so stubborn too. He damaged his health in the war, you know, Sandy dear, not that he'll admit it for a moment. Many too many _Cruciatus_ curses fought off or endured for far too long. The last time took us weeks to get him back to full health as it nearly destroyed his mind as well as his body. Then the Aurors had to have another go at destroying his mind even though he was proven to be on the right side." Both older people exchanged long, regretful looks remembering those terrible dark days at the most desperate point of the war. Remus sighed and Poppy shivered then made a concerted effort to throw off the gloom of memory. "So then, do you need a night dress? And Remus, you might want a pair of pyjamas even if his highness puts up such a fuss." Bustling and organising, Poppy sent them both off to bed.


	14. The Scientific Way

Chapter 13 - The Scientific Way Chapter 13 - _The Scientific Way_

Severus woke briefly to a tickling nose and a warm solidness snuggled against his chest. He swatted the stray curl away from his nostril, almost smiled at Remus' indistinct protest then drifted back to sleep. He had vague recollections of asking Remus to stay with him but wasn't sure if that was a dream or a real request. Not that it mattered; Remus' comfortably warm length was snuggled into his chest, keeping him warm with his elevated body temperature. Putting up with the odd curl invading his nostrils was a small price to pay for such a blessing.

Stabbing, bright light lanced through his skull when he attempted to open his eyes some indefinable time later. Muttering furiously under his breath, he groped for his wand but couldn't find it. Squinting painfully, he cursed Remus for lighting all the torches and mumbled '_nox_' but nothing happened. Utterly furious, Snape held up his hand, slammed it into a fist and bellowed – '_Bloody NOX!_' - at the top of his lungs. There was a groan and a crash of stone then blessed darkness. His sigh of relief was very short-lived.

"Severus Snape! You put those windows back immediately, do you hear me!" Poppy's voice could have cut glass as it reverberated down the ward. "Don't make me cast _Lumos_ on you!" she threatened suggestively.

"Woman, if you wish to blind me then you had better choose a different method! How is a body supposed to wake up in a decent temper when it's bright enough to fry eyeballs in here?" Severus snapped back aggrieved. "I hate mornings!" he grumbled under his breath squinting miserably as he undid his wandless magic with a disgruntled air.

"Here," a voice said close at hand and something cool slid over his face.

He opened one eye then opened both in surprise. The private room and the ward beyond were still brightly lit but some sort of dark glasses were perched on his nose, blocking and subduing the light to a manageable level. "What are these?"

"Ray-bans," Sandy said in amusement. "They suit you. Here, lean forward and I'll fluff your pillows up. Better? Good. How are you feeling now? You were out for the count when Remus woke before lunch but Poppy thought it best to let you sleep as long as possible. Here, drink this; it will make you feel more the ticket."

Cushioned by the flow of soft chatter, Severus found himself swallowing the potion without a single squeak of protest. He glared at the girl but then realised the dark glasses rather defeated the purpose but he wasn't about to give up their comfort at this point so he crossed his arms over his chest militantly instead. "What are you still doing here and why are you fussing around like a demented duck with one chick?"

"Good morning to you too," Sandy grinned as she slid a tray over his knees. "Professor Dumbledore thought I would be an asset here in the infirmary while the children were recovering."

"He did, did he? And what is this rubbish?" He poked at the tray's contents without real interest.

"It's breakfast. Lightly poached eggs on wheat toast with grilled tomatoes, bacon and a small serve of lamb's kidneys. Remus seemed to feel it was what you would prefer for breakfast," Sandy said pointedly and was amused to see the objections gathering in his expression fade away at that statement. She was even more pleased to realise he had eaten most of the food before he stopped and stared at her, fork poised. "Remus is fine, the children are still sleeping and they are fine too. The Malfoys sent a message that the first batch of potion was cooling and as soon as it was bottled, they would bring it in for you. Poppy says you are desperately dehydrated and undernourished, but what else is new? Remus also said to tell you that whatever the spell you did yesterday was supposed to accomplish, it seems to have faded into a background, place-keeping mode of operation. Would you like coffee or tea? There you go, it is hot, mind."

"Tea is supposed to be hot," Severus grumbled but was content to sip the brew quietly. The young Australian had settled herself on the chair near his bed and seemed quite disposed to sit there quietly, without chattering. It was, '_pleasant_', he decided, opting for a second cup of tea before he pushed the tray aside. "So, clear off! I need to get dressed and find out what sort of hash Draco has made of the damned potion."

Sandy grinned. "Yeah, yeah, sure! Scoff the nosh then duck out of the dishes, I know."

Severus blinked at her then smirked. "A woman's work is never done, don't you know? Thank Merlin for house-elves!"

Sandy laughed as she exited the room and closed the door after her.

Dressed in the comfortable robes Remus must have brought up for him, Severus debated keeping the dark glasses on but decided they were a little too affected for everyday use. Still, he didn't have even a twinge of low-level headache so he thought he might invest in a pair of his own. Snape stalked out of the private cubicle he had been in and, ignoring the two students in the far side of the ward with Quidditch training injuries, swooped to check the small child who was curled up on her side, her cheeks rosy with sleep.

Waving a hand over her, he brought the bed's _Acclaro_ charm up to full effect and murmured the added impetus for the detection of _Direstium_. The tell tale green sparkles were still present and glowing malignantly in the child's system but the usual debilitation that accompanied the poison had not advanced past the stage it had been the day before. In fact, some of the damage seemed to have been repaired, some of the magic and mundane resources restored. Thoughtfully, Severus made a note on the record Poppy had been compiling and was about to leave the ward when the door to the infirmary swung open.

Two very hefty wizards dragged a limp, unwashed and smelly youth in between them, Draco Malfoy bringing up the rear. One of Snape's eyebrows rose toward his hairline as the two men in Auror's uniforms dropped the young man in a heap on the floor. Draco smiled brilliantly as he skirted the stinking mess and handed a pair of vials to the Potion Master. Only someone who knew Draco very, very well would have spotted the nervous energy behind his vivid expression and cheerful insouciance.

"I made a double lot as I was very sure you would want to test it before you used it in earnest."

"Good thinking. Who is the guinea-pig?" Snape asked stirring the bundle with his toe.

"He is one of the Crabbe cousins. I promised Crabbe that, if this didn't work, I would turn him over to the Aurors and let the _Direstium_ do its job. After all, the Crabbe clan has a very firm policy about Squibs."

"Are they still allowed to cut their throats and bury them in the well with lime packing?" Snape asked in well-simulated surprise, which made Draco chuckle, the Aurors swap exasperated glances and the youth mewl miserably. "What is it called? I don't recognise it."

Even Malfoy had to blink at that statement until he studied the youth objectively; a walking skeleton with drooping folds of skin indicating a sudden and dramatic weight loss. "Humm, perhaps you wouldn't at that. He is Robert Persevert-Crabbe, from three years ago."

"Good Merlin, I would never have guessed. He was enormously fat!"

"Professor, have you really invented a cure for _Direstium_ poisoning?" Auror Mark Brown interjected, a worried frown on his face.

"I truly hope so," Snape replied, casting _Acclaro_ over the boy and marking the huge amounts of green sparkles the reveal spell showed up. "He is on his last dregs, isn't he? Still with that much stored lard no wonder he is still alive. Another couple of days and he would have nothing left of his magic and probably die in a couple of days after that."

The second Auror named Peter Newbury, stirred irritably. "Why is it that some of them die immediately after the magic has gone even though their bodies are not particularly damaged?"

"Psychic shock, more or less. Some people just can't survive without magic coursing through their bodies, others manage, and especially the Muggle-born I think. So, he is indeed a _Direstium_ addict and quite heavily dosed. I wonder if curing him will make any difference. Will he leave it alone forever-more or will he just go back to it as soon as he is let loose? Quite a conundrum, is it not?" Severus mused.

"Oh, I think we can guarantee he will stay clean for at least ten years. He was busted for dealing as well as possession and there's no _Direstium_ in Azkaban."

"You hope," Draco murmured in the background as he hooked a goblet off the shelving near the door. "How much will you give him, Uncle Severus?"

"Each adult needs to consume about thirty millilitres, depending on the strength of the infestation and how much of them are left. Giving it to him in one dose would probably kill him and destroy the experiment. I recommend giving ten mm in the initial dose, then five mm in each dose thereafter until it is gone. Every four hours should do it, I believe."

"Will he be coherent after that?"

Snape gave Auror Newbury a disgusted look as he turned away. "I guarantee he will be _Direstium_ free, the rest is unknown."

"Er, Professor Snape, one more question, if we may? Why have you suddenly felt the need to create an antidote to one of the current worst threats to wizarding society?" Mark Brown asked, not at all as air-headed as his sister Lavender.

"Sheer altruism?" Snape suggested sardonically as he grabbed a handful of the unfortunate youth's hair and pulled his head back for Draco to administer the potion.

Young Crabbe screamed as the potion burned all the way down his gullet, going into immediate convulsions that seemed likely to break his back. Poppy came at a run and almost had conniptions when she saw the man writhing on her floor. "Why didn't you transfer him to a private room or at least put him into a proper bed?" she demanded angrily.

"He doesn't deserve the consideration, Poppy. Besides, he would only jerk himself out of the bed and end up on the floor which might be worse in the long run." Severus sniffed.

"And he never thought of it," Draco put in grimly as he slowly retreated from the repugnant sight in the middle of the Infirmary's main ward.

Snape shot him an amused smirk, knowing how weak his stomach really was, while Poppy insisted the Aurors move the writhing body into a private alcove out of the main passageway. At a gesture from Poppy, Sandy hurriedly moved the two children out of their beds and to another ward despite their intense curiosity. Madam Pomfrey then ranged herself beside Snape, her scientific curiosity overcoming her compassionate streak in the face of the experiment. The experiment taking place in her ward was groundbreaking and world-shaking and she was pleased to have even a small part in the breakthrough.

Draco hung back, a little green around the gills at the sight of the nephew of a good friend as well as his cousin, thrashing and writhing on the floor in the grip of the drug, gasping and foaming at the mouth. Drugs had never really interested him, mainly because his father would have killed him if he had succumbed to such a weakness. Even worse, Draco had a weak stomach. Regardless of whatever people thought, and no matter how his father had threatened or punished, he still couldn't bear to see anyone tortured or deliberately put in pain. Moving back unobtrusively, he really wished he was anywhere but here, especially when the youth lost control of his muscles and the smell became very disturbing. Draco leaned himself against the doorjamb and carefully closed his eyes and invoked the mind calming spell he had perfected in his father's torture chambers many years ago.

The Aurors stood grim faced while Snape simply recorded his observations in a recording crystal that appeared in his hand as soon as the potion was administered. The _Acclaro_ spell flashed and glowed, purplish sparks tangling and exploding the green spots of poison in a visual representation of the battle going on inside the boy's system.

"Worse than _Crucio_ in effect," Severus remarked grimly. "It would be interesting to see the _Cruciatus Curse_ under an _Acclaro_ spell and compare them."

Madame Pomfrey snorted. "I have the remember-crystals we found at Little Hangleton after the final battle stored in my library. Tom Riddle was nothing if not thorough and often documented such things when he was sane. I think you'll find that under _C__rucio_ the general aura shows up green in keeping with the nature of the curse and the over stimulation of the nerve endings shows up as red. I think you gave him too much, Severus. Perhaps a weaker solution but in more frequent doses, say a ten percent solution consumed over a period of twenty four hours, one mouthful at a time." The last was said in very academic tones.

"You might have something there. I wonder if we should calculate the dosage on weight. Ah, the worst seems to be wearing off, or is he just dying? No, no, he seems to be getting his breath back. Oh, excellent. See, there's at least a fifty percent reduction of the drug in his system after only ten mils. The side effects seem to have drained him; perhaps some fortifying solution might help against the worst of the debilitation," Snape mused, Poppy hurrying to fetch the correct vials.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Draco stepped in to perform some cleansing charms over the boy and indicated the Aurors haul him up onto the bed where he could be guarded while his recovery was charted. Madame Pomfrey moved in behind him and hurriedly administered the necessary potions before dashing off again to be sure the others under her care were not disturbed or upset by what they had seen.

Sandy had them well in hand; telling the children stories about Australia as she checked temperatures and bandages, smoothed quilts and generally coddled them. Catching her eye, Poppy nodded at her to carry on then continued to where Severus was standing over the child, a deeply contemplative frown on his brow.

"Dare we chance it, Poppy?" he asked as soon as the woman appeared at his elbow.

"Do we have a choice? The child is poisoned and will die relatively quickly, that is a certainty. Your potion removed _Direstium_ from a wizard's system, also a certainty. All we have to do is decide how much potion we dare chance at a time so as not to hurt the child."

"It's a matter of weights and measures. We know how much is too much and how big the boy is, if we divide the potion in half for his weight then work out the fractions based on the child's weight…." Severus smirked gleefully, tapping his chin with a finger as he did the Arithmancy. "Let's try three millilitre in one hundred mils of a fifty percent solution of Pepper-Up potion, administered over a period of ten hours and see what effect we achieve. I wish we had a few more addicts to try it on."

"If wishes were broomsticks, we'd all play Quidditch."

"Oh, spare me!" Snape shuddered theatrically. "Check my calculations, Poppy, and we'll get on with it."

"You don't want to wait for Remus to get here?"

"No. There shouldn't be too much to see for the first part of the cure. Best he finishes whatever he is doing before he comes to stand vigil with us."

At first there was no appreciable difference in the small girl as Poppy dripped the first ten mils of the new mix into the rosebud mouth. They waited almost thirty minutes before the next ten mils went in and by then the sparks of green in the _Acclaro_ spell were beginning to be surrounded and not so much attacked as absorbed by the purplish amoeba produced by the diluted potion. The child changed to a boy and moved somewhat restlessly as the third ten-mil dose of the dilute mixture was administered.

Severus concentrated all his powers of _Legilimens_ on the child; ready to call the experiment off if the slightest difficulties or trauma showed in the child's mind but apart from some bad dreams involving something with teeth and claws, there was no upset. Indicating Poppy should continue the treatment, Severus went to check on their other patient, his _Acclaro_ charm showing that the amount of _Direstium_ in his body had been reduced by half but was still at far too high a level to be safe. Measuring another dose, he administered it and recorded the results in the remember-crystal. Draco watched carefully as his distant cousin moved a lot less vigorously this time, the potion obviously not warring so mightily with the drug in his system.

"A much more desirable result," Severus remarked as the younger man drifted to his side. "These are the results we are seeing with the child, a sort of sluggish engulfing and destroying of the invader, rather than trying to explode the stuff. Hmm, that's interesting. Well, I had better send a call to Remus as the child should be waking soon and he should be here."

A fire-call to their quarters brought Remus at a run, skidding down the central aisle to fetch up against Severus. The two Aurors almost hit him with a double hex, but didn't seem to notice that both Draco and Severus went for their wands to protect him. Remus didn't notice either as he wrapped an arm around Severus' waist and fixed eager eyes on the small figure in the bed. He frowned at the spell covering the child, a slightly puzzled air about him.

Taking pity, Severus moved behind him and draped both arms around his waist, leaning his chin lightly on the top of Remus' head. "They have had ten mils of the diluted potion mixed with Pepper-Up potion per hour for the last three hours and as you can see, the dose has reduced the _Direstium_ by about half. The _Direstium_ is represented by the green sparks; the potion by the purple clumps. The clumps eat the sparks."

"What is the greyish mist there almost on the bottom of the child's back? See?"

Severus peered forward and frowned, exchanging looks with Poppy Pomfrey. "How odd, any ideas?"

The older woman peered into the spell and frowned thoughtfully. "Almost like a residue from the destruction process. Now, I have seen something like that before, I know I have, but where?" Chewing her lip thoughtfully, Poppy paged back through her long memory of experience for quite some time before clicking her fingers. "It's ash! No, no, not the real thing; bodily ash, the residue left by poisons that have to be expelled from the body before it can be classed as fully healed. My old Professor at St Mungo's used to be very big on getting rid of the poisonous residue after a sickness. He used to recommend liver cleansing potions and cold baths but I've always found a warm bath with Epsom salts to be much more effective. I think the more modern term is fatigue toxins."

"I wonder…" Severus strode off down the ward to the Crabbe youth's ward and checked the spell over him, seeing a lot of the grey mist circulating his body. "Can we try _Expurgo Sanies_, I wonder?" Suiting actions to words, Severus cast the spell and watched as the grey mist swirled away but realised that the youth was obviously being quite badly hurt by the action. Keeping the incantation going, Severus reduced its power to a milder form and was pleased to see the youth respond quite well. His liver, which had been getting larger and larger, seemed to be slowly deflating and the mist was getting very slightly thinner. Nodding to himself, Severus hurried back to the small child and performed the similar spell on her, also noting that her liver had started to take on a swollen look.

Something else he noticed too was that Remus seemed to be getting a little thin-drawn looking and he caught his husband's chin to stare into his eyes in worried reflection. "You need to eat," he said in surprise. "When did you last eat? You look half starved again."

"Actually, I am somewhat peckish," Remus said in surprise as his stomach growled hungrily. "Odd. I only ate an hour ago."

Curving his hand in a tiny gesture, Severus brought the spell he had cast over Remus to the fore and blinked in amazement. The outflow of magic down the conduit he had created between man and child was fast and furious. The vampire spell was feeding Remus' energy into the child at a huge rate. Poppy caught the tail of the _Acclaro_ spell and dropped her jaw in surprise before hurrying to prepare a fortified draught for the werewolf. Severus checked his own spell and found he too was contributing to the child's energy at a less violent rate but he was also sending a small amount of energy to Remus too.

"You really did it this time, didn't you?" Remus teased gently, brushing his lips over Severus' pale cheek. "Still, it's not a life threatening drain at the moment and if it improves the baby's chance to survive then it is well worth it. Oh, thank you, Poppy," he commented as the matron thrust a large mug into his hand. It smelled pretty awful so he downed it in one and shuddered delicately as it hit his empty stomach. "Better get Severus some of this stuff too. He is going to need it."

"Tattle tale!" Severus murmured, still concentrating on the spell over the bed. He downed the potion without seeming to taste it, so deeply wrapped in concentration was he. Occasionally he asked Poppy to get him something but on the whole, he simply observed the course of the antidote as it travelled through the patient and systematically destroyed the damning sparks of poison in its wake. "You know, there's an awful lot of _Direstium_ in the child's system, more than can be accounted for in the single dose Sandy gave her. I have a horrible feeling that this stuff reproduces itself, that it feeds and grows on magic within the body. It's really quite insidious. I must test that theory later, but not now. How are we off for time, Poppy?"

The two consulted, made decisions and administered medicine, always observing the effects it had and recording them for later analysis. Just before dawn one of the Aurors put his head in at the door and asked that Severus come quickly, the patient was awake.

The youth was a sad and sorry sight; a skeleton wrapped in grey, unhealthy folds of parchment, sitting up in the white hospital bed with an air of unreality, his eyes dull and unthinking. He blinked and half twitched as Snape entered the room, shrinking back from his dominant figure. "So, Mr Crabbe, you are back with us then?" Severus purred, glaring down at the sorry excuse for an ex-student. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm, I'm sorry, Sir," the boy gasped, shuddering violently.

"Not nearly as sorry as you will be, I do assure you," Severus hissed then straightened, clicking his fingers. "Give me his wand."

Before either could think about disobeying the forceful command, the Aurors handed over the wand in question and Severus tossed it to the boy who grasped it as if it was precious. Ignoring the official protests, Severus produced a quill from inside his robes and tossed it onto the quilt beside Robert. "Levitate it."

There was a concerted gasp of 'what' then the boy realised what was meant and pointed his wand muttering '_Wingardium Leviosa'_ almost sullenly. Nothing happened much to the evident shock of the victim. He tried again, putting much more effort and concentration into the child's charm. Again nothing happened. Looking totally horrified, he glanced around wildly then strained with all his might, the sweat of effort standing out in stark beads on his pale clammy skin. The feather wobbled and rose a few inches then flumped back to the quilt lethargically. Robert Persevert-Crabbe burst into desolate and devastated tears.

"Well," Severus exclaimed in satisfaction as he studied the _Acclaro_ charm on the bed. "Not quite as low-level as a Squib but close to it. There may be some recovery of power over the next few months but a close eye should be kept on him. It seems that the _Direstium_ actually feeds and grows within the body - we feel - and so, if we've missed a bit, it will only come back and kill him anyway. It's fascinating stuff. I will apparate in, in a few days, to check on him and give him a booster dose of the potion just in case."

"If our senior staff agrees to it," Peter cautioned officiously.

"I am quite sure Ron Weasley will be more than willing to assist in the attempt to cure our people of a pernicious and devastating addiction that is destroying some of our youngest and finest." Severus smirked, an eyebrow cocked in supercilious surprise.

"Yes, Sir. May we take the prisoner away now, Sir?" Mark asked almost diffidently.

"Of course, he is of no further interest to, er, science."

oo0oo

The little girl stirred and opened sleepy brown eyes that looked almost black in the early morning light. She smiled tentatively and turned her head until she spotted Sandy then smiled more cheerfully. "Hi," she said rustily then turned back to the man beside the bed. "You're Uncle Remus, aren't you? We dreamed about you. You came to our house and read the possum book to us."

"That's right, pet, I did," Remus smiled back gently. "I'm pleased to meet you in the real world."

The girl grinned cheekily then a smile of pure, unadulterated joy transformed her features. "Mummy!" she exclaimed, making everyone blink. Then the joy faded and died, mutating into desolation and loss. "You aren't my mummy!" she wailed her mouth distending in a keen of pure distress as Severus came further into the room. "I want my Mummy!" she screamed as Severus sighed deeply and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't we all," he murmured under his breath as he picked the child up and held her close despite her wailing and thrashing. "Don't we all," he muttered into her hair and Remus caught a hint of equal desolation in the flat onyx eyes as they closed.


	15. Reflections

Chapter 14 - Reflections Chapter 14 - _Reflections_

Remus slipped into the sitting room, glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a heartfelt sigh. He had one whole hour where he was pretty much guaranteed no interruptions and he was feeling very grateful for that reprieve. He kicked off his shoes, summoned a cup of cinnamon and apple tea, grabbed his copy of Harry's latest Muggle novel and curled up in his favourite corner of the sofa to enjoy some '_me time_'.

It had been one hell of a month, he mused, his book forgotten. Anyone who thought raising a child was easy needed his or her bumps read, preferably with a two by four. He giggled at that very 'Snapish' solution and stretched slightly as various tense muscles relaxed. His hat was off to the young ladies of his acquaintance who were bringing up three or four children with what looked like serene dignity. He and Severus were merely frazzled.

Angelinus had spent the first two days of her stay in the infirmary, mostly sleeping and eating and curling up close to Sandy who had agreed to stay on for a few weeks to ease the transition, thank Merlin and his Hosts!! Once Angelinus was well enough to leave the infirmary, they had brought her to the dungeon rooms and showed her where they lived. Severus and Albus had spent quite a long time talking to the castle and as a result a corridor with two bedrooms and a bathroom leading off it had expanded their private suite. By a mixture of command, cajolery and main-force magic, the castle had also manifest windows in all three rooms, quite a feat as the dungeons were thirty feet below ground level.

Between them, Albus and Severus had furnished and decorated the rooms, which gave rise to some bizarre decorating notions. The first room, destined for Sandy's occupation was very neat and trim in black, silver and green, very Slytherin, very masculine and very plain, obviously Severus' effort. The second bedroom was done in primary colours, reds, blues, yellows and greens. Animated animals and mythical beasts danced and flitted across the garish walls. The bed was a flower shape with mounds of bright silk-covered duvets and pillows, so many that when Angelinus threw herself onto it with a cry of delight, she disappeared from sight. Her giggles made Albus glow with pleasure and Severus shook his head in disgust, phrases like 'spoiling her outrageously' muttering under his breath.

The bathroom was surprisingly well designed, a large bath, a shower, separate toilet cubical and a vanity unit all fitted neatly into the space. However it was evident that both wizards had collaborated on the creation of the décor and neither had compromised. The bath was black marble with gold taps and long enough to swim in while the shower cubical was tiled in sky blue with pink and navy-blue unicorns galloping all over them. The vanity unit and toilet were canary yellow with gold taps and fittings while the walls were moss green and the 'window frame' painted black.

"Oh-mi-gosh," Sandy said, round-eyed as she surveyed the clashing décor. "It's… lively," she commented when it was obvious both men were waiting for comment. "The bath is perfect for soaking two splashing kids and the shower is definitely well designed for the quick process of getting clean."

"Good, glad you approve!" Albus said firmly. "_He_ thought it was a little too much and wanted to make everything black and gloomy. Black would not be at all suitable for a child."

"There again, one would prefer _not_ to be confronted with galloping equine '_intrusions'_ first thing in the morning," Severus commented grimly, eyeing the unicorns in disgust. They all came to watch the people gathered in the doorway curiously. "Merlin, can you imagine how it would be to stumble in here in the middle of the night and find that lot staring at you? At least I managed to stop him putting the horrid beasts in the lavatory."

"And I stopped him creating everything black!" Albus said firmly, both stubborn men taking a stance almost automatically.

"Er, gentlemen, I think you have done a magnificent job but we all must remember that some of the inhabitants of this set of rooms are going to be female and I do think Sandy should have a say in decorating her own room, as well as Angelinus, yes?" Remus put in reasonably only to be glared at by both combatants.

Remus laughed to himself as he sipped his tea. They had compromised… eventually, normalising the décor in the bathroom to a pleasant, almost Muggle style for Sandy but when Angelinus entered the room, the charm immediately brought out the unicorns and rainbows, dancing crups and kneazles running wild over all the fixtures and fittings which obligingly turned into primary coloured miniatures of themselves, except the bath which became the size of a small paddling pool.

Everything had been fairly smooth sailing for the first couple of days while Angelinus settled in and did what the books called 'test the waters'. Basically, she was on her best behaviour, acting like a guest and trying to impress them with her extraordinarily good manners. Oddly enough, she was usually female, Linus taking a very low profile during the adjustment period. Sandy said he was the shyer of the two and tended not to come out unless there was a situation where his sister was intimidated or threatened, and then he came out to protect her as any brother would.

Commenting on it, Sandy had laughingly replied that. "They're typical siblings in that respect. They fight like cat and dog but woes betide the third party who tries to step in. They will both leave their argument; attack and defeat the intruder like a well oiled team, then get back to their own argument as if nothing had stopped them."

Severus, as an only child, had no experience of it but Remus vaguely remembered his own brother and their relationship with each other before he had been killed. Sandy confirmed that it had been that way with her brother too, enemies to the end, unless intruded upon.

Then came the night when a blood curdling scream split the silence. Both he and Severus were out of bed, wands drawn, adrenaline pumping before the reason registered. The sound of someone whimpering 'mummy' was not what usually followed such a screech in their experience and both had sheepishly sheathed their wands, catching up dressing robes. Angelinus had a nightmare and had clung to Severus as if he was a lifeline. Unused to such emotional storms, Severus had patted the child's head and sent looks of pure terror to Remus who had stopped to procure a small cup of hot chocolate for the little boy. Taking pity, Remus had summoned hot chocolate for all three of them and they had sat with Linus until he fell asleep again and gradually morphed into Angelinus.

As they left the room, they found Sandy standing by her bedroom door, a fluffy coat thing pulled tightly around her. "Did you manage to calm them down alright?" she asked sleepily. "Good, was it Linus in charge, or Angel? Ah, it was a monster dream then. If it's a running or falling dream then Angel is the pilot of choice."

It was funny. As they got to know the child better they had discovered there were almost three children to be dealt with. Angel was female to her toenails. When she was totally in charge of the body, she was so girly it was almost terrifying. When Linus was solely in charge then he was a rugged little boy, shy but masculine and a lot easier to relate to. Their usual state was Angelinus, a tomboyish child both courageous and shy; neither male nor female, just all child.

The honeymoon period had lasted all of two weeks before the first argument was entered into. Remus had bathed Angelinus and dried her off, slipping her into her nightshirt with the blue happy faces on it. Usually he tucked her into bed and Severus came in to read a story before turning the torches down to a low nightglow. They had all had a good evening, a walk around the lake, playing ball on the lawn then in for a light supper and bed, nothing unusual about the Sunday night but then Angelinus declared that she wasn't tired and was going to go out and play some more. Remus said no, now was time to relax ready for bed, but his reasonable tones were like a match to tinder.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she screeched kicking and scratching out at him, making him fall back in shock. "I want my mummy. You aren't my mummy. I want my daddy!"

Severus had entered at a run and caught up the child, smothering her attack as effectively as a body bind with his long arms. "That is quite enough!" he snapped coldly, plonking the little girl onto the bed. "How dare you behave like a little barbarian? You will apologise to Remus immediately."

"No!"

Severus glared at the child who failed miserably to quiver or be intimidated. Instead, she bounced to her feet, stuck her fists into her hips and glared back, looking eerily similar. Remus opened his mouth to say it was all right but was forestalled by a raised hand. "No, Remus, the attack was uncalled for, unkind and unfair. You were doing your best for the ungrateful brat and she behaves like that? She showed appallingly bad manners at best, studied cruelty at worst. An apology is called for and you will have it or there will be no story and no comfort."

"I won't! _I won't_! I WON'T! You can't make me! You aren't my daddy; you're a meanie old fart! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

Hissing through his teeth, Severus drew himself up to his full height. "Very well, as a, er, meanie old fart, I decree that you shall go to bed immediately. When you are ready to apologise you may come out and do so. Do you understand? Remus, out." He swooped, picked the now boy-child up despite his kicking and struggling, peeled back the bedclothes, slipped him into bed and covered him over. A gesture dimmed the torches and he exited, head held high despite the screams of temper coming from the room. There was a quick patter of feet on the floor then loud kicks and bangs on the wooden panels. Hissing again, Severus cast a partial _Silencio_ on the panels with a loud finality, cutting the sound to a distant roar. Remus and Sandy looked at him anxiously as he clicked the locking charm on the door and drew a deep, steadying breath.

"You know," he said softly, almost soundlessly. "I almost back-handed the little brats, almost banished them into the wall," he mused in dry academic tones that eased into a wry smile as he studied his slightly shaking hands. "But I didn't. I didn't. Maybe I _can_ be a better parent than my father."

"I never had any doubts. You are a much better man than that mad, malicious bastard," Remus had declared stoutly, giving him a reassuring hug.

The kicking sounds stopped and the temper screams had diminished into sobs and whimpers behind them so Severus unlocked the door but did not open it. Ten minutes later there had been a timid knock and Angelinus had launched across the room to hug them both and apologise profusely. She ended up curled up between them on the sofa; sound asleep and he'd had to carry her into bed much later. Still, the storm had done the trick and the preternaturally well mannered and unnaturally well-behaved child had become a normal five-year-old with all the ups and downs that entailed.

Stretching and smiling, Remus turned a page in his book then realised he hadn't read it anyway so he gave up the pretence and continued to think about the past month.

Being full time workers as well as new parents was not easy. Admittedly, Sandy had taken up a lot of the slack in caring for the little one during the day but even with her help it was not easy. Still, routines were being created slowly but surely. Remus was always more functional in the mornings so he got up with Angelinus, making sure she dressed suitably for the day. If left to her own devices, the child would put on the first thing at hand, usually shorts and a t-shirt but the concept of 'colour matching' had never entered into her sphere of interest. The day they both realised she had no fashion sense was the day she appeared in a fuchsia t-shirt with spots of red and bright green shorts with lime stripes. To add insult to injury she had also added yellow frilly topped socks with baby pink fluffy slippers.

Now they chose clothes the night before and laid them out on the chair so Angelinus could dress more easily. Breakfast was usually taken in the Great Hall so it was not so bad, except that Angelinus was fascinated with the long tables of children, and spent more time watching and laughing at the students than she did eating. Once they had accomplished food, Sandy took Angelinus off to the governess' care for the day. Keelie Harkness had arrived two weeks before and settled into Hogwarts quite readily. She had assessed Angelinus on the first day and proposed a program of learning exercises that would suit the child's temperament and intellectual level. It all sounded very impressive and sometimes Angelinus even learned something, but it was hard to judge what a five year old was learning. Sandy seemed unimpressed with the woman but Severus wondered if it was just that the woman was not impressed with Sandy, and obviously was not comfortable around Squibs.

They would meet up again at lunchtime when Severus would supervise Angelinus' meal, encouraging her to eat whatever was on the menu. As Severus' appetite was a little precious itself, it was quite funny to hear him extolling the virtues of a balanced diet and eating heartily, but it did encourage him to eat too. After classes finished at four thirty, their time was their own and having Angelinus was a joy. They took walks in the gardens, apparated or flooed out to various destinations, including a puppet show in Hogsmeade and a Muggle style play-park in Weston-Super-Mare that Sandy mentioned. Dinner again was in the Great Hall and after that came bath time, story time and then bedtime. Then, and only then, did they get time for marking or essay reading or research. The advent of Angelinus had cut down dramatically on Severus' casual handing out of detentions. If he had to hand one out, it was usually supervised by Argus Filch.

Two weekends ago, a fire call from Harry had seen them all take a Portkey to Ottery St Catchpole for Sunday dinner with the Potter-Weasley-Malfoy clans. That had been an experience for both Sandy and Angelinus. The full clan ran out to over ten children, including babies. Both Remus and Severus always found it a little overwhelming and obviously Angelinus was equally swamped. She clung to Remus like a limpet and would not leave his knees for anything. When Molly Weasley approached and held out her hands, the little girl hid her face in Remus' neck and refused to even look at her.

"Losing your touch, old girl?" Severus smirked out of the corner of his mouth as he passed to hand Remus a cup of tea and put Angelinus' lemonade down on the side table.

"Much you know, Severus Snape," Molly snapped back, showing a touch of her old fire. Since the end of the second war, Molly had shrunk with age and sorrow, losing her belligerence and growing introverted. The war had been very hard on the Weasley Clan, killing first Bill, then Fred and George within a week of each other. Charlie had been captured then rescued by Severus Snape with serious injuries but he had lived. Percy had disgraced himself in that very battle and had been cast off by his mother for his cowardice in deserting his post in the heat of battle. The final, most debilitating loss was when Arthur was killed in that same battle for the Ministry after Percy had left the building. It had brought her to her knees and she had never recovered. Her Medi-witch had diagnosed depression but everyone around knew it was more like deep, unremitting sorrow that weighed the once rotund and strong woman down. Only occasionally did she show a flash of spirit and it was usually only when Severus needled her over one thing or another. At first the remaining Weasleys, Ron and Ginny, had been shocked and horrified that the sarcastic and snide Snape would speak to their mother in such a disrespectful way. Later, they almost willed the potions master to force a reaction from the shadow of the woman they knew and loved.

Sandy had thoroughly enjoyed being part of the loud, laughing crowd of people who took her straight into their midst and made her welcome. Much as she had enjoyed her time at Hogwarts, she was always acutely aware that she had no magic in a school full of powerful kids. Here there were Magicals, very ordinary children, some powerful wizards and witches and a couple of truly adorable babies. A tall blonde woman introduced herself as the only genuine Muggle in the lot, in the same tone as one might say '_a rose between the thorns';_ pure joy for living in her dark grey eyes. Desiree took Sandy under her wing and looked after her all during the free-for-all that dinner turned out to be. Even the blind guy was not spared from the push and shove of the exuberant crowd but he didn't seem to mind, '_pushing and shoving with the best of them'_ she'd remarked on the way home.

Finally, last week, Sandy had decided it was time she left them to take up her own life. She had approached them on the Saturday night after dinner and bedtime rituals. Remus had been sad that she wanted to leave but Severus was more interested in where she thought she was going to go and how she was going to survive once she got there. Sandy laughed at him, telling them about her plans to get a job in a London hospital, save some cash and then go to University to study Psychology.

"Why get a job first?" Severus asked in his usual blunt style.

"Moolah; no dollars - sorry, pounds - no eats," Sandy said derisively.

"Oh, is that all. You know Lachrima would be most distressed if we did not take care of your needs, including school fees. After all, you have had to abandon your life to take care of hers. Which University do you want to go to? Oxford? Hmm, didn't Bartholomew Trews from Ravenclaw end up lecturing there in something or other? I should give him a call."

"Whoa, hang on! Are you offering to pay my University fees? But that's thousands and thousands of pounds!" Sandy gasped.

"Hmm, and you will of course need to live on campus. It shouldn't be too hard to accomplish," Severus muttered, ignoring her exclamations.

"Get real! You can't be expected to pay for me on a school teacher's wage; even my parents can't afford the fees they charge at Oxford for overseas students." Sandy protested, over-riding his musing.

"I should think not," Severus, said affronted. "They only pay a pittance here, hardly worth it. My dear girl, you don't think this teaching post is my only source of income, do you?" He sighed when she nodded tentatively. "Oh dear, much as I hate to admit it, I am the Head of my Family these days, and all the titles and entails have devolved to me. Technically, I suppose, I am Lord Snape in our world and the Earl of Snape as well as Viscount Hardington in your world, until my formal adoption of Linus, then he gets the Viscount title as heir to the Family. And if I had managed to become a vampire, there's a European title, monies and lands waiting to be claimed too." He bridled huffily under her incredulous gaze. "Sorry, it's not my fault. My family has always been good at appropriating other people's money, or marrying it, if circumstances dictated. So, a few measly pounds on education are neither here nor there."

The argument had grown quite heated but Severus prevailed simply by ignoring her and making the arrangements through Gringotts. Remus had advised Sandy to simply give in gracefully and let Severus enjoy himself. Money smoothed the bumps in the road and before Sandy's head could stop spinning, she had applied and was accepted to commence her further education in the following September at the college of her dreams, without the hassle of trying to balance a job and study.

They gave her a farewell party on her last night, the twins growing weepy toward the end but they seemed resigned. Severus gave both Sandy and the twins what looked like Muggle clipboards with a single sheet of paper, some bright buttons on the top and an attached Muggle quill.

"See, if Sandy writes on her board, then presses the owl button." He gestured for her to write something, "it appears on your board, see? And if you write on your board and owl it, it appears on her board. To save the letters for later, you press the keeper key and it is stored until you want to get rid of it. To throw out the old letters, you press the retrieve key and use the arrow keys to go through the pages. You simply press the sanding wand to erase the page."

"And it will work in Oxford?" Sandy asked, glancing up impressed.

"It most certainly will. You can also use it as a note taker," Remus told her, handing her another parcel that looked like a folder of ten pence stamps. "Here are ten inactive Portkeys, for emergency use only. Each one is keyed to your saliva. To activate it, lick your finger and put it onto the picture and it will bring you to the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta will contact us for you as soon as you arrive. Don't lose them and don't post any letters with them." He warned cheerfully.

They had escorted Sandy to the railway station in Hogsmeade next day, the twins giving her a tearful farewell and made her promise to come back on Saturday for a visit.

And now they were on their own. The children were entirely theirs to care for and raise, and he hoped someone was watching over them because the responsibility was enormous and mistakes could be disastrous!


	16. Consipracy Interlude

Chapter 15 - Conspiracy Interlude Chapter 15 - _Conspiracy Interlude_

"'_Lolly gobble bliss bombs', _you have to be joking!" Severus winced and the gargoyle seemed to smirk back at him as it allowed him access to the headmaster's study. As he approached the door, he felt the presence of a number of people behind it, waves of low-level hostility seeping through the bricks and timber to lick hungrily at his senses. Eyes narrowed, he laid a long, sallow hand on the door panel and concentrated, attempting to interpret what he was feeling. By the tone, he knew the anger and malice were directed at him although the why was not clear. He could feel Albus' presence there too, moderating the major waves in his own inimitable style. On the other hand, if Albus had not wanted Severus to be forewarned, not a single hint of anything would have leaked through the door! Taking the hint, Severus pulled his personal talent for 'unnoticability' about himself and quietly slipped into the room.

Albus held court at the top of a conference table, looking regal and sane in a midnight blue robe. The office had been transfigured into a much larger meeting place to accommodate the six extra people seated around it. A number were arguing between themselves; two quite heatedly, the others spectating. They were so engrossed in their petty dispute they did not register the Professor's entrance. Albus did of course. The carefully cultivated air of stealth Severus had learned over the years did not fool him for an instant, it never did. A flick of a white eyebrow indicated that Severus should take the chair on his right hand and Severus slipped silently into place without being noticed.

Opposite the indicated place, Ron Weasley glanced up, his eyes narrowing for a second before he nodded his greeting. He had not really registered Severus' entry and was disturbed by his lack of vigilance. He and Severus had a long and turbulent history, collaborating over what had come to be known as 'the Werewolf Incident'. On a number of occasions, Severus had assisted in some forensic potions work for the MLE department, his skill and knowledge put to a good use when something baffled even Snape's last protégée, Laura DiBilliot, who was brilliant in her own right. While he had grown distinctly less hostile toward his former professor over the years, especially as his children and friends' children seemed to adore the man, he was still not comfortable with his ability to appear and disappear seemingly at will, without magic!

Albus leaned forward and tapped his spoon on the edge of his teacup to call the unruly meeting to order. For a moment it looked like the grey haired wizard at the far end of the table was going to ignore the summons but then he noticed the black clad man on Albus' right and stiffened perceptibly, his hostility meeting a new target.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, now that we are all assembled, I will call this meeting to order and…" Albus began only to be cut off rudely.

"This is not a bloody board meeting, Headmaster Dumbledore, this is a serious accusation levelled at our school and that, that 'professor' you insist is as innocent as driven snow. Well, this time he has gone too far!"

"Now, now, Hannibal, you must remember your blood pressure and try to remain composed," Albus said gently. "I think it only fair to table our agenda for the day so that everyone knows what subjects we are actually discussing. First of all we have Hannibal McDermott, representing the school board and trustees. Seamus Bonnar represents the 'Civil Rights of Prisoners' movement and Morton Fletcher of Gryce, Fletcher and Jones representing their clients, the Crabbe family. I believe Morton, you would like to speak first?"

Morton Fletcher was a powerful wizard in the legal community and had represented some of the oldest families to survive the SVW. He smiled briefly at the Headmaster before unrolling the parchment that had lain near his left hand.

'_Southpaw,_' Severus noted, _'fit, middle aged, not more than eighty, good health, well fed, not a powerful opponent but cunning.'_ The instant weighting of an adversary was not something Severus did as a matter of course any more but, in this hostile environment, he went automatically onto his war footing.

"Thank you, Headmaster. My client has asked me to raise a question of ethics in the forced, not to say experimental, nature of the treatment handed down to one of his nephews right here in the school infirmary. No-one was asked permission to have the child take part in this experiment and indeed, no parent or guardian would tamely submit their child to such a dangerous, destructive treatment as the boy seems to have suffered at the hands of one he trusted." The man was good, his tone a mixture of sadness and grave respect as he tapped the re-rolled parchment against his nose. "If no restitution can be made at this time then I fear this matter will have to go to a formal hearing."

"Restitution for what?" Ron Weasley asked softly, no longer the bellowing blustering boy he once was but a skilled orator and interrogator.

"Why the child is damaged beyond all recovery, reduced to a mere Squib by his treatment at Severus Snape's hands," Fletcher said in shocked tones, aiming for sympathy from his audience, and getting it in the form of shocked gasps.

"Hmm and I suppose the fact that 'the child' was under arrest for dealing in _Direstium_ while under the influence of that drug, played no part in his presence here? Also the fact that the drugs in his system were destroying him and if Severus had not acted to save his life he would not have lasted another day?"

"But to fill him full of an unauthorised and indeed highly experimental potion without his permission or that of his guardians is a breach of all the ethics the Ministry and indeed the Society for Equal Rights has been fighting for, for years!" Bonnar protested bitterly. "What more can you expect from the Aurors!"

The fourth man at the table raised his head and snarled wordlessly at the younger man. "How dare you insult the Aurors? If filthy brutes like _Direstium_ dealers cannot be forced to give up the particulars of their dealings in perversion by any means possible then our society will be destroyed from within. Prisoners do not have rights! They deserve everything they get! Equal rights? Civil liberties! What rights do the kids have who are given their filthy drugs and have their lives destroyed by these predators. _Crucio_ the lot of them until they babble their plans wildly, I say." Fergus McTavish was almost foaming at the mouth as he spat his own brand of poison.

There was a stir of discomfort around the table then Seamus Bonnar shot to his feet. "It's people like you who condone the destruction of our society, you poor excuse for a sewer digger! Next you'll be telling us that we should all go back to the dark ages before the SVW and just allow people to be tossed into Azkaban with no regard to their guilt or innocence, only their inconvenience to the status quo!"

Both men were on their feet screaming at each other, spittle flying across the polished mahogany when a deep, velvety voice cast, "_Silencio_" almost lazily. Mouths worked, hands shot to throats and both men flopped down into their seats, staring in horror at the black haired wizard who had taken them both out so easily. Severus smirked at their shock and tapped his forefinger thoughtfully on his chin.

"And what are we going to do with you both? First of all, Mr Fletcher, your 'child' was twenty-one, well over the age of consent and therefore no permission from friends, guardians or family needed to be sought in his treatment. Secondly, while the potion I had devised was indeed experimental, it was also successful and did indeed save the man's life. With some refinements, Mr McTavish, I believe it will go a long way to alleviating the distressing effects of _Direstium_ on the addicts who encounter it. And lastly, Bonner, the man was brought to me by courtesy of his cousin twice removed, Lord Draco Malfoy, who's only desire was to try and help a youth he felt partially responsible for. If the family Crabbe has a problem with this, I would suggest contacting Lord Malfoy and taking it up with his representative whom I believe is the senior partner in Mr Fletcher's own firm."

Morton Fletcher's nostrils flared almost as widely as Severus' then he bowed jerkily, acknowledging the hit the professor had scored. "Very well, I will do that."

"Was that all, Headmaster? I do have classes to teach," Severus asked in bored tones, turning to his principle.

"No, not quite Severus, there are a few other matters we need to discuss briefly." Albus sighed before nodding to the two men who were still struggling against the hex Snape had tossed so lightly. "Please release them, Severus."

"Oh very well, if you insist, _Finite Incantatem. _Oh, do be quiet, both of you," he added as they both drew breath to start screaming again. "What else am I accused of _this time_?"

Ron stirred. "Misuse of magic, in particular, the Dark Arts," he rumbled. "I'm sorry Severus, but the ministry has authorised me to do a _Priori Incantatem_ on your wand."

"Have they indeed?" The ice fairly dripped from the velvety tones as obsidian glittered through slitted eyes, but it was not Ron who was the subject of that hard, hate filled glare.

Fergus McTavish withered as the black eyes bored into him, finding his soul. "Don't you try your _Legilimency_ on me, you, you Death…."

"That is enough, Minister! I will not have my people insulted and despised in my own office," Albus said in level, measured tones that were even more threatening than bluster and anger.

"Oh no, Headmaster, let him go his length," Severus purred. "After all, the sanitation inspector from the wilds of Northumberland merely vocalises what the majority of the wizarding world is too terrified to say. Of course, if it was so, his recklessness would be his undoing, would it not?" Dismissing him with a haughty stare, Severus turned to Ron again. "Very well, do you have the order there? Ah, it is legitimate. Very well, here is my wand."

Three of the six at the table flinched back as the long fingers flicked then gaped incredulously as the tiny, curved wand was laid on the table. The only woman in the room leaned forward slightly and blinked in surprise.

"But that's too small and not even finished!" Janet Crow exclaimed in surprise.

"Not exactly what you'd expect from a Death Eater, hmm?" Severus snorted sarcastically. "I don't need a wand for most things; I am a Potions Master not a charms caster."

"We will see!" McTavish gloated eagerly. "Well, Auror Weasley, is that his wand and if so, do get on with it!"

"'_Wand registered to Severus I. Snape of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one six inch white rowan with a coiled mermaid hair core. Distinguishing details, no grip, exposed core, curved, made in Germany._' Is the Minister satisfied that this is the correct wand? No! Minister, no one must touch the wand once it has been presented or it may contaminate the reading!" Ron warned grabbing the man's reaching arm with his damaged hand. McTavish yelped and snatched his limb back hastily, making Ron smile grimly.

Taking out his own wand and holding it carefully against the skin of his fingers that was exposed by the removed ends of his glove fingers for contact, Ron cast _P__riori Incantatem_ on the tiny wand and all watched with varying degrees of eagerness as the rolling list of incantations appeared. Albus and Severus leaned back and watched as the eager, gloating expressions slowly grew puzzled then confused and finally disgusted as the list of cleaning spells, light spells, fire, water and everyday household charms rolled out of the wand. "But, but this is all domestic," Bonnar said in bewilderment.

"I have been domesticated," Snape murmured but only Ron and the headmaster recognised the ruefulness in his tone, the rest merely heard the sarcasm.

Ron finished the list and removed the spell, handing Severus his wand. "Are you satisfied that the wizard, Severus Snape, has cast no Dark Magic nor has he used any Unforgiveables in the last year? Are there any further questions on this matter? Thank you, Minister, and that ends my part in your query. I turn the meeting back to the chairman."

Albus nodded graciously. "In that case, I would ask that we break for some refreshments before our guests leave and the second meeting begins. Meeting adjourned."

"A second meeting? Headmaster! I have classes to give, for Merlin's sake!"

"Oh, settle down, Severus, I sent Professor Halfpenny to cover for you!"

"What! How could you do this to me, Albus? She is absolutely useless, as effective as a wet noodle, and we have Slytherin/Gryffindor classes today. That silly chit will let them blow my dungeons up!"

"The place could probably use some new decorations. After all you don't have Neville to clean the rafters for you anymore," Ron put in softly, a wide grin making him look all of twelve himself as he laughed at his former professor's distress.

"One can only be thankful for small mercies." Severus glared but it was a resigned sort of expression as he sipped tea and casually appropriated all the hazelnut truffles off the bonbon selection. "So what is this other matter we are inquiring into?"

"Madam Pomfrey and Madam Director Adrienne Ladoux of St Mungo's will be joining us before we go any further. We will also be losing Mr Bonnar and Mr Fletcher so please try not to hex them into next week before they leave."

"I assume this means McDermott and McTavish are to continue to grace us with their company?" Severus snorted in disgust.

"Afraid so, Professor," Ron murmured in a quiet aside. "By the way, what happened to your duelling wand? I often wondered where you got that one from."

Severus pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Long gone, I'm afraid. I change wands when I change career paths, don't you know."

"Ah, I thought it was something like that." Ron nodded gravely, eyeing his ex-professor's left arm suggestively. "How stable is your treatment for _Direstium_ addiction, Professor? Have you made any progress in the application and dosages?"

"You'd have to talk to Madam Director about that when she gets here. She has been holding trials of the potion in the addict wards under proper clinical conditions for the last month. I believe Draco arranged it with Hermione and Poppy; I've had too much on my mind to bother with something so trivial. Tell me, Ron, does Kathleen insist on dividing her food into colour groups before she eats it? Angelinus had developed that distressing tendency and also of trying to build castles out of her mashed potatoes, with her fingers no less. It is disgusting."

Leaning back in his chair, Ron burst out laughing and almost choked on his own tongue. "No, Kathleen is not into colour sorting, she prefers to line the bites up in size and shape order," he managed to gasp between guffaws.

"Well I didn't think to provide you with such amusement, Weasley, but one must garner information where one can." Severus sniffed in distain.

"No, no, don't mistake me," Ron snickered, endeavouring to sit up sensibly. "It's not your concern I am questioning, it's your priorities. You dismiss one of the major breakthroughs in the treatment of drug addiction of this decade as of less importance than a child's eating fancies. And you are being such a feared and fearsome Death Eater in so many minds? It's just kind of incongruous, don't you think?"

Snape shook his head pityingly. "My dear Ron, it is a lot easier to be a Death Eater than to be a father, let me assure you. As a Death Eater the choices are simple, kill this one, and torture that one, obey the Dark Lord in all things. As a father, the choices are myriad and the consequences of making a bad choice are both far-reaching and often ear piercing. You try making a five-year-old wear the wrong robe and see how long your peace of mind lasts! Do you know how devastating it is to be told how hated you are with such conviction and passion. And I know what all the books say, it's not meant, just the child lashing out, but honestly! If any future Dark Wizard learns to harness that sort of conviction, we are all doomed!" Snape lectured earnestly.

"You spoil that child, Severus," Poppy said firmly from behind them, her step silent as she approached, Madam Director Ladoux hard on her heels.

Stiffening and flaring, Severus refused to grace the comment with an answer. Ron managed to contain his amusement as he rose and bowed to the venerable old witch behind his favourite Medi-witch, offering his arm to guide her to a seat. She had to be at least as old as Dumbledore but was nearly as small as Professor Flitwick.

Adrienne Ladoux smiled up at the tall man who towered almost a yard over her and accepted the seat as well as the footstool he slid under her feet. "Albus," she murmured in her tiny, high voice, a quirky little smile adding a twinkle to her eyes. "Such a beautiful day, it's a shame to be cooped up inside. Hannibal, my dear fellow, how are you now? Has your mother recovered from her bout of shingles? And, Fergus, how is your ulcer? You really should not be indulging in that awful lemon cake, I have told you a hundred times before." Cooing and nodding, she reduced the still bristling combatants to unruly schoolboy status with a few softly placed words and smiles before turning her wide violet eyes on Severus. "My dear boy, you look tired. How are the children? Such a delight! And you are coping with fatherhood? I have spoken to Harrison Flamel about the twins' dilemma and he has been looking into it on your behalf. You should contact him soon and see what he has for you. Well, Albus, shall we get started?"

Albus bowed acknowledgement as the others hastily took their places and turned attentively to the small woman. She sighed and nodded to Poppy with a smile of pure delight. "We at St Mungo's have been conducting trials of the potion patented by Severus Snape and first tested jointly by Severus and Poppy. Working on the initial calculations made here at Hogwarts, we are now able to affect a cure for _Direstium_ addiction commensurate with the debilitation of the addict. Hannibal, you are so lucky to have such a pair of brilliant minds working right here in your school, just wonderful!" she cooed, making the man bask in her praise, forgetting his hostility to the Potions Master almost instantly. "In plain English, this means that the sooner we get to the addict and give them the potion, the better they are able to recover. Each cured addict needs to come back every two to three days for a booster dose of potion as _Direstium_ does have a terrible habit of multiplying in the magic stream in an addict's body. Once the _Acclaro_ spell shows no sparks, we need to test once a month then once in three months, and so on."

"And how much damage do these 'cured addicts' have? How much of a burden will they be on wizarding society?" Fergus McTavish asked harshly.

"If they get treatment early enough then their magical function is barely impaired. If the addiction is too far advanced, then the addict will die, or be reduced to the level of a Squib. We have considered this and we feel the special mental unit at St Mungo's can formulate a program to help the newly recovered addicts cope with life as a Squib." She bowed her head sadly. "It will be Seamus Bonner's task as Advocate to help these unfortunates reintegrate with their families and to be granted basic rights of survival, particularly those who come from pure-blood families." The way Madam Ladoux spat the words 'pure-blood' was an insult in itself. "Now we come onto the worst part of this whole business. Albus, would you call in Lord Malfoy? Thank you."

Draco was obviously on his high instep, peering down his nose as he strolled casually into the meeting, pulling dragon hide gloves from his hands with an air of disdain. He nodded to various people with different degrees of respect, lastly giving a full bow to the small Director of St Mungo's. He took the indicated seat and smiled blandly down the table as he retrieved parchment from his briefcase. "A month ago, my godfather, Severus Snape, asked me to gather samples of a particular Muggle compound sold freely across the country and indeed, overseas, across the counter to Muggle mothers of small children. In essence, it is a painkiller and soothing compound, guaranteed to help children through the pains of teething troubles. I sent my operatives out to one hundred and fifty locations scattered around Britain with instructions to purchase a bottle of the medicine from the first available outlet they came too. Our operatives apparated in, made the purchase and apparated out, bringing their purchase to me. A number of students here at Hogwarts participated in the testing procedure as part of their ongoing NEWTs assignment, and were very successful in both the brewing of the diagnostics potion and the dealing with the results. Only one person was required to be treated for accidental _Direstium_ poisoning, a complete recovery, I might add and a tribute to Severus' cure. Of the fifteen hundred samples we acquired, nine hundred and fifty two were contaminated with _Direstium_. Here is a map of the areas the samples were taken from, the contaminated samples marked in red. You will note that the larger towns have the bad samples and by comparing batch numbers - a purely Muggle invention and most useful - we have decided that this insidious plan was only instigated in the last two months."

"So what? How does a contaminated Muggle medicine affect the wizarding world?" Minister McTavish asked querulously as he rubbed his nose in a disinterested haze.

Janet Crow was suddenly galvanised, straightening abruptly. "It doesn't in the short term, but in the long term we do not get candidates for Hogwarts, Beauxbatons or Durmstrang or anywhere from the Muggle community. No more Mudbloods or half-bloods," she said with a crudity that only emphasised the seriousness of the situation.

The men around the table were slow to realise the implications but eventually they were all staring at each other with wide, shocked eyes. "Merlin Preserve us, that is the most insidious and devious plot I have ever heard of," McDermott muttered slowly.

"But who would concoct such a plan? Who would be responsible for such a travesty of…?" McTavish broke off as the further implications flowed over him.

"Well, that's the question, isn't it?" Ron purred softly. "Have you any ideas, Draco?"

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid. My people have talked to the Muggle press and had the batch numbers we have found contaminated so far, recalled; but it is not enough. Unfortunately, Severus has discovered that this _Direstium_ poison has a bad habit of multiplying in the system unless completely neutralised. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, Malfoy Enterprises has not managed to purchase any significant stock in the company that makes the potion. It is part of a huge, international conglomerate and even my people have not managed to dig through the layers of legal obfuscation to find the root owner, as yet. However, we are making some progress and may yet succeed." Draco slapped his gloves into the palm of his hand. "Unfortunately, by doing the recall, we may have tipped our hand and we may never find the culprits but I am not lost to all hope yet." He glanced up sharply, his grey eyes icy-cold with the determination of his convictions. He looked very much his father's son in that moment and not a few men shivered in remembered terror.

"Thank you, Lord Malfoy. Does anyone else have something to add to this problem?" Albus murmured into the appalled silence.

No one spoke.

Eventually, Janet Crow stirred. "Any ideas of how many former Death Eaters or Voldemort party supporters are left out there?" she asked into the general silence.

"My extended family are pretty much neutralised," Draco stated softly.

"My extended family is more concerned with Dark Creature rights at the moment," Severus muttered in disgust. "Give them any self-serving crusade and they will all jump on the band wagon, you just have to make sure it is a band wagon you want pushed."

Draco sniggered. "How very cynical, I must try that solution," he murmured.

"My department has been tracing down as many known supporters of the Voldemort party as they can, hopefully to find them inactive, but occasionally to encounter current active hostility." Ron muttered, no longer terrified to say the name, as he had been when he was younger.

"Do we know where the potion is manufactured?" Albus asked softly.

"There are a couple of factories where it is made, _we_ have to decide which one is contaminated, or if it is both. Then we have to track down the Potions Master who made the potion in the first place. _Then_ we have to figure out how it is being slipped into the Muggle medicine for distribution," Draco recapped softly into the intent silence. "A consortium of my father's former colleagues from the continent did make some inquiries and conciliatory gestures. _Direstium_ did get a vague mention, but not as much as the rest of his business practices did. I made my position on the issue of illegal imports into Britain or illegal exports from our fair shores very, very clear."

"And what would that be?" Madam Crow asked, more curious than accusing for once.

Malfoy gave her a glance that was pure Lucius if anyone could recognise it, sheer cold malevolence. "Anyone so much as vaguely threatening to harm one hair on the heads of my wife or children, and by definition, anyone, pure-blood, half blood or Muggle-born would have the full might of the Malfoy Army to contend with."

"And do you have an army?" the woman asked in surprise.

"Money can cause a lot of things to happen." Draco smirked suggestively. "So, do you have any further instructions, Headmaster?"

"No Draco, just keep up the good work," Albus murmured as he closed the meeting gently.


	17. Houdini

Chapter 16 - Houdini Chapter 16 - _Houdini_

Angel and Linus laid on the hearthrug drawing pictures, tongue poking out the side of their mouth. They had been here at Hogwarts for two months and were getting used to the cold weather and the stone castle, and they did dearly love Uncle Remy and Uncle Severus. Sometimes Sandy came to visit them on Saturdays and once they had gone to Oxford to visit her. They went by floo, cuddled safe in Uncle Severus' arms. He had whinged and moaned about getting all dirty but Uncle Remy had just laughed at him and dusted him off with a charm.

They were funny sometimes, Uncle Severus was always pretended to be grumpy. He was really grumpy in the mornings, half asleep and everything. If they asked Uncle Severus anything in the morning, he often wouldn't hear them or he would grunt, just like… like Mummy had. Oh, how they missed Mummy and Daddy, no matter how nice everyone was or how much Grandpa Albus tried to make them laugh. Sometimes they cried at night but that was all right, because Uncle Severus and Uncle Remy would always come and cuddle them better. While Uncle Severus was a grump sometimes, Uncle Remy was always happy, except when he was being a dog. That had been a surprise! One afternoon Uncle Severus had sat her down on the sofa at home and told her that it was a full moon night. This meant Uncle Remy had to turn into Moony who was a wolf and very big! After dark, Uncle Remy went into the bedroom and Moony came out to play. He was fun and furry and cuddly! Next morning Uncle Remy was back again.

Contemplating the drawing again, Angelinus decided to draw Moony by the lake where they had all gone to throw a ball for Moony and play in the sand on the beach even though it had been dark, that had been fun! They had already drawn a picture of their beautiful castle, which was so much bigger and better than stinky old Malfoy Manor. Lysander had got all haughty and looked down his nose like Uncle Dragon did some times when he was cranky with one of the kids. Hanova had laughed at them and said Hogwarts wasn't theirs, it was a school and they didn't own it, not like the Malfoys owned Malfoy Manor but Angelinus knew better. Grandpa Albus had said they would always have a piece of Hogwarts in their hearts and Grandpa Albus knew everything! So there!

Uncle Severus said they had to learn to be real castle people if they insisted on having Hogwarts in their hearts, and they had to behave properly in all the Old Ways. That meant playing dress-ups, formal sorts of dinners that Uncle Severus said they had to practice at so they didn't make mistakes when they got older. It was sort of fun to dress up in special robes with lovely silky stuff on the collars and cuffs, and velvet and leather and everything, instead of everyday clothes. They would sit at the dinner table in their own rooms, which had been made big and set with all the sparkly glasses and shiny knives and forks and material napkins, and candles in the middle. Uncle Severus would pour red wine into their glass and they would sip it slowly while eating beef, or pale green wine while eating fish or chicken. Uncle Remy had said wine was bad for kids but Uncle Severus had said a little was not harmful and would educate their palette early. Angelinus didn't know what that meant but they did know the wine was pretty gross at times so they only ever sipped it, with lots of water in it. It also meant special chocolates and desserts for afters that were just yummy!

The first time they had arrived at Malfoy Manor for dinner, Aunt Mione and Uncle Dragon had been waiting with the kids in the main parlour. Lysander and Hanova were really big kids, ten and nine. Lysander would be going to Hogwarts in September and get sorted into a house, probably into Uncle Severus' house called Slytherin. They called each other Ly and Han but no one else was allowed to use their short names. Next kid down was Arathorn or Thorn, which he didn't mind anyone calling him. He was seven and like the older two had bushy blond brown hair, grey eyes and was _big_. The girl nearly Angelinus' age was Galadriel or Gladys as the older ones teased her. She was different, little, thin and had the most fantastic straight white hair and skin. Angelinus thought she looked like a real fairy and she was so shy. When the big kids called her Gladys and teased her, Linus had flown into them and even kicked Lysander in the knee.

Uncle Severus had been very upset and had even glared at them but Galadriel had smiled shyly and whispered her thanks as they had slipped away. They had even made up new names for each other. Angelinus became Gelin and Galadriel became Silky. Uncle Remus thought it was very cute that they had secret names but Uncle Severus was a bit put out; but he didn't like short names anyway. He was funny like that.

There was a baby too called Emrys who was nearly two, small, fat and sleepy. He didn't come down for long but was sent upstairs to the nursery with his nursemaid, after an hour. They, the kids, had been sent off to play for a while in the gardens while the adults talked then everyone had gone into the dining room and sat down at the huge Malfoy dining table. Silky sat beside Angelinus and they were glad their uncles had showed them how to behave at a formal meal. Even Hanova had been upset when she tried to work out which was the fish knife and her mother had to tell her when Angelinus smirked smugly from their place already neatly copying their Uncles as they ate their fish. They had even helped Silky when she needed it, which only made Lysander glare at the younger child.

Giggling quietly to themselves, Angelinus carefully sketched their uncles into the Hogwarts picture and added lots of students. Concentrating hard, they made a Slytherin and a Gryffindor coloured stick figure then paused to stare into space again. They briefly wished Sandy were here because Sandy was good at making drawings and paper airplanes and paper hats. They missed Sandy taking them out to the park or to play games in the sun or go swimming. Sandy was like Daddy, fun and cuddly, and she sounded right, not like everyone here, who sounded wrong. Oh, Uncle Remy was cuddly and Uncle Severus was safe but they weren't Mummy and Daddy who smelled different too.

A tear dripped on the paper and Angelinus had a little cry, quietly because she didn't like to waken Miss Harkness who always had a sleep after lunch. Miss Harkness was her governess and was boring! She gave her boring things to do in the morning, read boring books about how boys and girls were supposed to behave as wizards and witches. She made Angelinus write her name again and again so it was no fun and she didn't let Angelinus sit on the floor or wriggle or anything. Deportment, she called it, as befitting a half-blood masquerading as a pure-blood. Angelinus wasn't sure what that meant but Linus thought it was very bad and had told Miss Harkness to go away. She had got really angry and had smacked Linus on his backside which had made both of them very angry. Uncle Remy had been really angry when he found out and had spoken to Miss Harkness behind closed doors. After that, Miss Harkness had never smacked them again, but she did make them stand in the corner and face the wall instead. Boring!!

After lunch, Miss Harkness always went into the bedroom and had a 'little lie down'. That was a strange thing to do after lunch because Angelinus just wanted to run around and shout and play. She had told Miss Harkness that, loudly, and had even thrown a real tantrum the first day she insisted they stay inside. After Miss Harkness locked her in the bathroom for two hours, she didn't make any noise at all when the governess was asleep in her bed. Angelinus didn't let herself out of the suite anymore either. She had done that once, a few weeks ago now, but she had never tried it again after that day.

Miss Harkness had been about to go and lie down when Angelinus had asked her to go out to the garden she had snorted and said no, very harshly! Setting her lip to stop the screams that she would usually have let rip, Angelinus had stamped her foot and flounced out to the sitting room and flopped down on the couch. Just in case, she got up and tried the doorknob, which actually turned under her hand. Giggling a little at this unexpected turn of events, she crept out of the suite and down the corridor, to the nearest junction. She didn't know where she was going but one of the pictures on the wall told her that the gardens were to the left. The moving pictures in the corridors at Hogwarts had always been a fascination to her and they were equally infatuated with the little child who had been introduced to the school. After that the pictures told her how to get out of the big hall and to the small side door she had never seen before.

It took a lot of tugging to get the door open and then she was out and running, giggling wildly as she fled over the lush green grass toward the lake. Beside the cold grey water there were flowers to pick and birds to chase. She hadn't brought her bucket and spade so she could only build a lumpy castle and she didn't have a wand to make the sand dance into place like Uncle Severus had when they came to the beach last time, but it had been fun. A rabbit ran out from under a log close by and she squealed happily as she chased after it, leaving a trail of abandoned flowers behind her. As the small brown animal shot into the dark shadows of the nearby forest an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her off her feet. She screamed and struggled but the boy who had caught her only laughed as he turned back toward the school.

"You put me down you meanie old drop-kick! I hate you! _I hate you!_ I HATE YOU! I want my Uncle Sev'rus!" she shrieked and the boy seemed to be impressed at last, so were his friends who began to mutter and whisper amongst themselves. The group of six seventh years stopped as the little girl was carefully placed onto the ground in the middle of the ring. She straightened her blue robe and folded her arms across her chest, tapping her foot as she stared up defiantly at the tall people surrounding her.

"Oh shit! It's the Lupin-Snape acquisition," one of the girls in the group said warily, eyeing the glaring child as if she was about to turn into a snake. "Hey kid, are you Professor Lupin's little girl?"

Angelinus paused in her calculations to think about that one. Uncle Severus was the best protection in a bad situation but Uncle Remus would be less likely to yell at her for running away. She nodded, eyeing the girl calculatingly. "My Uncle Remy teaches daddy and my Uncle Severus teaches poisons."

"And never a truer word was spoken," the boy said while someone sniggered in the background. "Okay, I think we'll take you up to see your Uncle er, Remy because I don't think either he or your Uncle Severus would like you to get into the Forbidden Forest. You would hardly make a mouthful for some of the beasts in there. What's your name, Kid?"

Knocking at the DADA classroom door, Mike Janson had popped his head around and smiled at the class before beckoning the teacher out. Angelina had launched herself into her uncle's arms with a happy squeal, dropping sloppy kisses all over his face. As usual he forgot to be angry with her and was happy to hold her tight while the big boy explained how they'd found her down by the lake, heading for the Forbidden Forest.

Angelinus had been allowed to stay in the DADA classroom and look at a picture book of Mythical Beasts while Uncle Remus finished the first-year Hufflepuff class on Cornish Pixies. One of the boys had given her a liquorice wand to play with and it was really yummy and she got all black in the mouth but Uncle Remus didn't mind at all when she got sticky fingerprints on his robe. It had been fun and at one point Angelinus had clung to her uncle's leg while he cast charms on the little blue beasts, pretending to wave her own wand in time to his casting. One of the pixies had sneaked up behind them and pulled her hair until Linus came out and hit it hard on the nose. Uncle Remy had turned then and zapped it with his wand, making it go all stiff and still so that the class could put it into the cage with the rest. It had been real fun, lots of laughing and girls squealing and boys running and even jumping on the desks. Uncle Remy had laughed too and put cushioning charms under some people and made the walls go rubber if someone ran into one. Everyone was hot and sweaty and giggly when all the pixies were caught and put back into the cage. Then there had been big glasses of pumpkin juice for everyone as they sat on the floor and panted a lot. It had been fun!

It was only after class when Uncle Remus took her back to Miss Harkness that Angelinus realised her kind and gentle uncle could be as cold and as nasty as her Uncle Severus when telling someone off. Miss Harkness had been most upset and very sad until Uncle Remus left, then she was mean and nasty to Angelinus until Linus came out and told her if she slapped them again, he would tell his Uncle Severus and he would hex her into next week like he said he would last time she smacked them, so there!

Just for curiosity, Angelinus had tested the door the following day but it was securely locked. Linus had tested the door every day after that, hoping that it would be unlocked but it never was.

The next time they had escaped had been even worse. Linus had had a think and had said he thought Miss Harkness was a piss-ant like the shearer their Daddy had taken a stock whip to when he got pissed and cut open one of the rams' necks.

'_Think about it, Angel, she has that little bottle like one of Uncle Severus' potions bottles in her pocket all the time and she drinks from it all morning. Then she sleeps all afternoon. She's a piss-ant.'_

'_But Uncle Remus would smell the funny smell. You know he could. He can tell straight away if you've been eating paint or crayons just by sniffing.'_

'_Yeah but she never smells of anything, not even sweat after she has a sleep. Bet she uses her wand or something, magic could do that, take away the smell of the grog, easy. You know,'_ he added thoughtfully, _'if we found her wand we could use _Alohomora_ and get out without waking her up. I've watched Uncles do it all the time and I bet I could too, if I had her wand.'_ Linus nodded decisively.

'_You think? But where would we go?'_

'To the kitchens. We could get some of that really nice dessert, they had chocolate pudding and whipped cream today. Maybe there's some left.'

'_I think I know where her wand is.'_

The wand was indeed behind the sofa cushions, just behind Miss Harkness' head. She snorted and snuffled when Angelinus' foot touched her hand but she didn't wake up. Turning the body over to Linus, who was much more athletic and coordinated than her, Angel waited with bated breath as her brother performed the unlock charm, the click sounding loud in the silence. Eagerly, they tossed the wand aside and ran off on tiptoe, giggling like a brook.

The portraits had all been warned never to guide the child to the outside world by Severus, with threats behind the warning that caused a few of the more timid portraits to flee their frames. Even the boldest were not prepared to defy Snape in 'protect the young' mode. When Angelinus assured the Fat Cavalier she didn't want to go outside but wanted to see if there was more chocolate pudding left in the kitchen, he was most sympathetic. Having enough to eat had been one of his goals in his early years; he had ended his life as a famous gourmet and died while partaking of a twenty-nine-course banquette.

A portrait close to the kitchen entrance helpfully instructed them on how to tickle the pear and the painting swung open. The house-elves were utterly shocked to see someone only as big as they were in the doorway. Angelinus was just as shocked as the elves, never having seen them before. The two parties stared at each other until one of the braver elves came forward and bowed nervously.

"How is Desky helping little Miss?"

"Hi, we're Angelinus. May we please; may we have some more pudding, please?" Angelinus asked as politely as she knew how, dropping a curtsey as Silky had shown her last week, for good measure.

The house-elves fluttered about and produced a bowl of pudding, whipped cream, ice-cream, cheese, chocolates, chocolate sauce, carrot sticks, fried potato chips, honey drops, fruit sticks, liquorice whips, biscuits, pies, cakes, sliced salami, anything the fertile imagination of two five year olds could think of. The pair gorged themselves until they were sticky and thirsty and the house-elves produced pumpkin juice, lemonade, water, cherry soda, lime spiders, chocolate milk and two kinds of orange juice.

And then Angelinus threw up!

Severus had been in the middle of supervising a fourth-year Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff practical class when a house-elf snapped into being, threw itself down on the ground in front of him and began smashing its head on the flagstones wailing about poison. A few seconds later another one appeared and wrapped its long arms around his legs, effectively hobbling him to the spot. It was so unexpected he almost sprawled on his face but managed to catch hold of his desk before shaking the wretched little beast off.

Between the class giggles and the house-elves' hysterics, he almost cast _Petrificus Totalus_ on the whole bloody lot, before first the house-elf's words began to make sense.

"Fuck!" he swore softly under his breath, snatching a handful of floo powder and tossing it into the fire. "Headmaster, I need to leave my class, could you come immediately?"

"Of course, Severus, nothing serious, I hope?"

"Not sure yet, I'll be in the kitchens." He finished the call, used more floo powder and spun into the kitchen in time to witness his five-year-old charge vomiting into a bowl held by a small house-elf while the rest of the stupid creatures ran around wailing and banging into things. "What is going on here?" he demanded, waving a hand to banish some of the mess around the place.

Angelinus gave a pitiful wail and collapsed on the spot, greenish in complexion and obviously terrified. Taking stock of the situation, Severus pulled his wand and performed a careful cleaning operation on the child, taking away half the contents of her stomach with a delicate touch. He ordered a house-elf to bring a cup and carefully measured out a potion from his robe pocket, holding the small body close as he made her drink. Ten minutes later, the little girl was sound asleep against his chest, wrapped deep in his robe and held safe. The house-elves were lined up in a quivering mass and being glared at without discrimination.

"This is a child, a small, not very sophisticated human whose eyes are bigger than her belly. She will be greedy for sweets if offered in a never-ending supply. Therefore when she asks for food of any sort again, you will only offer the choice of three things. When one lot is chosen then she is only allowed one serving of that food, no more, no less. She is only allowed one drink of flavoured drink but is allowed as much water as she likes. Either Remus' or my orders over-rule anything the child says until she is old enough to be Sorted. Is that clear?"

There was a rattle of frantic agreement before Severus left the kitchen with his child in his arms. As he entered his classroom, he was in time to sink wearily onto the desk chair as Dumbledore dismissed the class and chuckled at his worn expression.

"Is she a handful?" the old wizard asked in amusement.

"You have no idea," Severus confirmed grimly, still holding the child safe. "Last time she got out it was the Forbidden Forest, this time it is the kitchens. Where next? And what on earth is that stupid governess doing at this time?"

"Have you called her?" Dumbledore asked. "She's probably frantic!"

Miss Harkness was indeed frantic, weeping and promising faithfully that she had only taken her eyes off the child for an instant. She didn't think a five-year-old could get around charms or she would have been much more careful to secure her wand before turning her back even for a tiny second. Dumbledore had calmed her down and told her to take the rest of the day off while he had taken over Severus' classes and Severus had taken Angelinus back to their quarters and put her to bed for the afternoon.

True to her word, Miss Harkness had not taken her eyes off Angelinus for two whole weeks, not even when she sipped from her potions bottle that she kept in her pocket. But Angelinus was usually a good, obedient child and had done nothing wrong, had been attentive and polite just as her uncles had made her promise. She had discovered how to summon a house-elf to play with her and often Desky came to make magic happen for her, bringing a serving of sweets or a drink of juice with him. Happily amused, Angelinus had not made any trouble and Miss Harkness' vigilance had gradually waned to its usual level of napping.

Putting the last touches to her drawing, the child rose and pinned it on the magical easel her Uncle Remy had stood in the living room for her. It didn't need pins, just magic to hold the pictures in place. Carefully and quietly, the pencils were gathered up and put away and Angelinus sat back down on the hearthrug, propping her elbows on her knees and her chin on her cupped hands. The child tossed up whether to ask Desky for a drink or if they should take a nap themselves.

'_I'm bored! I want someone to play with,'_ Linus complained. _'Desky doesn't know how to play and have fun, does he? He always waits until we tell him what to do before he will do anything. Wish we could play with Silky, she's good fun.'_

'_Maybe, if we ask Uncle Remus, he would take us?'_

'_Class time'_

"_Oh, yeah'_

They both sat staring into the crackling fire for a moment until the same idea seemed to take hold of them at the same time. _'Yesss!'_


	18. Missing

Chapter 17 - Missing Chapter 17 - _Missing_

Hmming happily, Remus knocked at the door of his old suite and waited for an answer. He was rather early to pick up Angelinus but then he was pleased to dismiss his class early as a reward for a perfect run. The seventh-year NEWTs group had performed flawlessly and deserved an early mark. A few minutes there was no answer and he grew a little worried, a frown drawing his eyebrows down over his nose. Casting _Alohomora_ he kept his wand at the ready as he carefully pushed the door open. The place was undisturbed as he flowed into the room; old combat training coming to the fore as he visually and magically reconnoitred the space. His magic picked up a warm body in the next room, alive, unharmed but drugged in some way. He skirted the walls; making a note of the tear stained artwork on the easel and a few crayon marks on the hearthrug, the sticky rings on the table beside an abandoned plate of half-eaten apple slices, the spilled container of Floo powder on the hearth and the lack of any other signs of disturbance.

Pressing open the door with one hand, he slithered into the bedroom and eased over to check the witch's pulse as she lay in sleeping abandon on the comforter. His nose twitched, his senses screaming 'booze' as he visually assessed the room and the situation. A waking charm was counting down beside the bed, with exactly seven minutes to go. If it activated, she would have ten minutes to get ready for Remus' usual arrival time, he reasoned, waving a hand to stop the charm dead. What the Hell was going on?"

Slipping out and swallowing a heavy stone of dread into his gullet, Remus surveyed the room once again and checked the small hiding places he knew the room contained. Not for nothing he had occupied these rooms for five years; he knew every inch of them. Unfortunately, even that infinitely detailed knowledge failed to produce his cub and he was growing steadily more terrified by the second.

Stifling a bubble of panic, he put a Floo call though to the Headmaster and one, which he really dreaded, through to Severus. Headmaster Dumbledore came instantly, Flooing in to follow Remus' survey with one of his own. Remus was amazed by the old man's obvious experience in such a tense and unknown situation but then his logical mind kicked in and he realised the older wizard was as much a combat soldier as he was. Both were satisfied that there were no lingering enemies or booby traps in the suite by the time Severus managed to dismiss his class and Floo in himself.

Although he hated the disorientation of Flooing, Severus was instantly alert when he saw his two fellow Order members both exhibiting battle ready status. The black wand he didn't own, was in his hand in an instant as he sent a signal to Remus and opened his mind to his Headmaster. In eerie silence, Severus flowed like a puddle of darkness into the bedroom and looked down at the witch who was supposed to be caring for his child.

She lay in sleeping abandon, a small flask stood on the bedside table near at hand. He picked it up and studied the carefully made object with a growing snarl. It was no standard flask but chaste silver, a hand made piece of art with her name engraved on the nameplate in elaborate copperplate script. Severus had one of very similar design tucked away somewhere in his rooms, sent to him on his seventeenth birthday by an interested and self-seeking relative as a coming of age gift. Most pure-bloods would have received a similar gift on the same occasion. After all, Ladies and Gentlemen were supposed to carry hipflasks of their own private reserve about their person. It was expected.

His narrow nostrils flaring, Severus scented the air and growled deep in his throat. There was no potion in that hipflask, no sign of contamination or illegal substance to fuddle the mind. It was purely French brandy or something equally expensive and imported from the source, probably from an indulgent parent. The bitch wasn't drugged by kidnappers, she was drunk!

Before either Albus or Remus could react, Severus hauled off and slapped the girl across the face, making her yelp and cower, pushing him away with a mad scrabble of her hands as he reached down and hauled her put to his face with furious strength. "Where are they, you drunken cow? Where are my children?" he roared, shaking her furiously, no longer calm and in control of his reactions.

"Wha-." Her eyes were still rolling from the drink and the terror of the abrupt awakening but Severus had cast her back onto the bed where she bounced under the force of his push, his wand coming to rest a few inches from the end of her chin.

"Sev! Slow down now. Don't lose it, Love," Remus cautioned uneasily as he sidled over to where his mate stood rigid, wand literally quivering in anger as he glared. The scent rolling off his mate was driving the already infuriated wolf mad with fear and blood-lust. It wanted to kill something in retaliation for its missing cubs, just _in case_ they were hurt.

A vague sort of sense of self-preservation suddenly caused Keelie Harkness to sober up in a hurry. She tried desperately to focus on the wand tip only inches from her face and followed it up to the sight of Snape's slit eyed threat of unfathomable retribution in the next ten seconds. "Ah fuck, the brat," she muttered, disorientated, too befuddled for diplomacy..

Remus _knew_ Severus was about to lose it. Severus had rarely lost his temper in all the years they had known each other. Remus had never seen his irascible husband shake in just such a way, not even when dealing with the Ministry or the last Death Eater they had cornered in a dark alley two days before Voldemort's demise. Hell, he could even hear Severus' back teeth grinding together in his ire. "Where is my child?" Severus repeated grimly, death and destruction in his tone.

"Livin' room, drawin'."

"Try again."

"Stupid fuckin' brat, s' always causin' tr'bl."

Severus had never been so terrified or so angry in all of his life. He had always been a controlled and in charge sort of man, never allowing emotions to over-rule his Slytherin sense of self-preservation but in that instant he literally saw red! "_Ava_…."

Remus didn't think, he simply roared a silencing charm over his husband, jumped forward, wrenched the wand from Severus' hand and pushed him to one side all in an instant.

Albus grabbed Severus from behind and whirled him away from the hapless female, smothering his struggles in surprising strength. "No, no, my dear boy, we'll have none of that now. We'll find them soon," he murmured in Severus' ear as he hauled the distraught man out of the bedroom and into the sitting room.

When Remus came out of the bedroom, Albus had conjured a glass of firewhiskey for Severus and was chaffing his hands in an attempt to get some colour into those pale cheeks. Remus slid into place beside his husband and wrapped a comforting arm around his narrow shoulders. "Okay, Sev? No harm done. She doesn't know anything. She has been trying to give it up for a long time but she has a real problem with brandy. She has no idea what happened but she's pretty sure that the alarm charms would have sounded if anyone unauthorised had entered the room without permission, she was reasonably careful about setting those sorts of wards. She says the house-elves often come to the kids during the afternoon but they only bring sweets or drinks and only one of the varieties available as per order and she adjusted the wards not t react to their presence."

Severus turned jerkily to fix his husband with a flat black gaze. "So there was a set of badly cast wards set by a drunken bint with no sense of responsibility and impaired capability which could not hold a five-year-old waving a borrowed wand. And this is consolation for a missing child, how?"

"Sev! Think! There is no sign of forced entry; there is no ransom note anywhere around here. There is no trace of dark magic to be found and no sign of a struggle or fight. There is an overturned box of Floo powder and a good fire going in the grate. What do you surmise might have happened?"

"She's Floo-ed out?" Severus murmured then straightened abruptly. "Could she have Floo-ed out? How could she have Floo-ed out? Where would she have known to go? How would she have known how to make the Floo system work?"

"Good, pertinent questions, my dear, and as soon as we figure out the answers we will know how to get her back," Remus said in measured tones. "So! Are you over your blue funk now? Good stuff." He dropped a short but emotion-laden kiss on Severus' thin lips before straightening and sighing. "Have you any ideas, Albus?"

The older man sighed and stroked his hands through his long white beard. "Well, since there is no sign of a struggle we can assume that she let herself out as she has before. We will ask Minerva to set the prefects and upper years to search the castle just in case she managed to get out of the suite again. We can also get Professor Grubbly-Plank to check the edges of the forest to make sure no small person entered there. And in the mean time, let us call a Floo technician. Who are her friends and where might she have attempted to go?"

oo0oo

The search of the school proved fruitless, despite the incredibly enthusiastic cooperation of all the senior years. Even the younger members of the school had helped search the common rooms and dormitories, finding a lot of lost articles but no Lupin-Snape children. A few grumbled that it served Snape right, but the majority cast aside any ill feeling in the face of the emergency. Minerva delivered the bad news and the Floo technician in one visit to the guest quarters, along with a handful of calming draft from Poppy Pomfrey.

The Floo technician looked grim as he packed up his equipment and turned to give his report. "There are no open ended connections to the fireplace so wherever she ended up, it was a real destination and it is somewhere in the country, she didn't try for an overseas connection."

"Well at least she didn't try to connect to Australia," Remus murmured thankfully.

"Some consolation," Severus muttered grimly, his arm still firmly about Remus' shoulders. He needed the physical contact to stop him flying to pieces, a state of affairs he found totally alarming. His earlier outburst at the hapless Miss Harkness had shocked him in a fundamental way. So much so that he didn't quite trust his own basic reactions. He had always felt he was a reasoning man; calm, studied, balanced actions applied rationally to problems, not some gonad driven fool who plunged in heedless of the consequences, Slytherin, not Gryffindor. He was still shaking with the force of the unused adrenalin coursing around his body and making a mockery of his usual, disinterested and detached facade.

Remus stroked Severus' back under his robe trying to will calmness into his shaken mate. He'd only seen Severus so upset once and that was when he had been explaining the logic and plan behind why he was forced to 'kill' Albus Dumbledore but the reasons behind that terrible event had been very different to today's fiasco. Studying the technician carefully, Remus nodded for him to go on.

"She gave a garbled destination, not one that is on the Floo system and was caught in a failsafe eddy - we have them set up at various points to catch any errors and shunt them into the nearest depot for sorting. However, before she could be brought in, she seems to have panicked and used wish-craft to take herself out of the system. The problem is, we aren't set up to track wish-craft of that magnitude, no Floo Company is. The bottom line is, she isn't in the Floo and I have no idea of where she is." The young wizard hung his head sheepishly as the two men before him clutched hands frantically.

"We will have to set up a locator spell as soon as possible," Dumbledore said firmly. "Tell me; is there any way to inhibit the Floo so that a child could not use it?"

"The short answer is no," the technician said, grasping at the straw held out to him. "However, there are a number of guard charms that can be set up in front of the fireplace or alarm charms to warn of unauthorised use. Most parents use the fireguard charm and also set a password on the Floo powder box as well as a warning chime on the fire itself. Kids will be kids and the intelligent ones soon figure out a way around even the best of safety charms."

"Well, young man, I think it would be best to organise a crew to come along and ward all the fireplaces in Hogwarts so we don't have a repeat of this accident in the future." Dumbledore decided, drawing the technician away and sending him off home with the order. "So, what do you want to do now? Call in outside assistance or see what we can do?" he asked of the Snapes who were still firmly fixed on the sofa.

"Well, we've established that she has been gone since two o'clock so wherever she is, they have not reported finding a stray girl or boy in their home or business. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know yet," Remus murmured thoughtfully. "We can start getting the things together for a tracking charm but setting one to find someone is not as easy as having one firmly fixed in the object when it is before you."

While the two wizards discussed the needs for a tracking charm, Severus held himself deep in thought, calming his mind, removing the distractions, preparing himself for the difficult task he may have ahead. As he emptied his mind, he could feel Remus' hand slowly gliding over the flesh of his torso, soothing and echoing in his chest, making an area of skin over his heart tingle and glow in harmony. He concentrated on the feeling, isolating it, analysing it, then a slow, cunning smile slid over his face.

"Forget the tracking charm; it won't work as we don't have a clue where to even aim it. However, we have something better than a tracking charm, we have a Blood Binding." He bared his teeth in a mirthless smile as he raised his head to stare at Dumbledore in calculated pleasure before turning to Remus at his side. "Are you willing?"

"Of course," Remus said instantly, not waiting for any further details.

Severus smiled a real smile that lit his eyes for a second before he grew serious again. "It won't be comfortable for you. I need to get into your head and into your skin."

"You already are, Love," Remus assured him gently, covering his mouth and receiving a kiss in the palm of his hand for his troubles. "What do you need me to do?"

Ignoring Dumbledore, Severus turned to kneel on the floor in front of his partner and flicked open the buttons on Remus' robes and undershirt exposing his heavily furred chest. Placing his palm in the centre of his breast exactly where the blood charm had been painted, Severus closed his eyes and conjured up an image of the mandala he had painted on Remus' skin in blood more than two months before.

The gateway symbol was still there, still open between Remus and Angelinus, still pulsing with life flowing from Remus to the child. Sighing in satisfaction, Severus began to track the flow, stretching his mind out further and further, allowing it to be carried in the trickling of power out to where a little child was lost and alone and perhaps in grave danger. For a time there was only the movement, not fast but steady, carrying him outward. He could feel Remus breathe under his weight, the steady beat of his heart as he slumped further into the experience, stretching him thinner and longer, wondering if he would be strong enough to follow the child. Then he was almost there, a hint of laughter, a flash of colour, a touch of scent. He pushed harder, drawing deeper on both himself and Remus, reaching out to the last few inches, and opening the small girl's eyes to see what was around her. He had it, a crest, almost as familiar as his own. Thank Salazar!

Remus only just caught Severus' long frame as he slumped into unconsciousness, easing him up onto the sofa cushions as he turned quickly to retrieve one of Sev's potions out of his robes. He knew the stubborn fool had taken to carrying the fortifying potion on his person after the last time he had collapsed and was just thankful to have it at hand when needed. Pouring the requisite drops straight into Sev's mouth, he kept him propped upright until he swallowed and began to revive.

Dumbledore - an interested but removed spectator to the cameo scene - moved forward to learn what had been discovered. Remus cast him a distracted smile as Severus came around and gusted a sigh.

"She is safe and well, and playing happily at Malfoy Manor," Severus announced in disgust. "Oh, she is going to be so sorry for this piece of disobedience, I can assure you!" He vowed as he rose and pulled his robes around himself defensively.

Remus rose too, fastening his clothes and raking a shaking hand through his hair. "Yes, well, never punish in anger," he cautioned carefully, taking the opportunity to drop a little of the fortifying potion onto his own tongue. Whatever the spell Severus had been doing had taken it out of them both. "We're getting too old for these sorts of tricks and challenges," he muttered, pushing his hair roughly back into place.

Glancing down at his shorter mate, Severus grinned suddenly and dropped a kiss on his temple. "Definitely so, Old Man. But what would we do without her to keep us on our toes?" Ignoring the Headmaster's presence, they clung to each other and hung on for a long, comforting second before straightening up and smiling into each other's eyes. "Makes you know you are alive, yes? So, how do we want to go about retrieving the miscreant? And how is it that Hermione or Draco didn't Floo us to let us know where she was?" Severus mused, a wave of irritation beginning to grow now that the tension was released.

"Malfoy is a big place; they could have sneaked off to play by themselves without Hermione even knowing she was there. Let's give her a call and ask the question, then we will know better how to deal with the situation. My biggest question is how did the little terror get up enough brute talent to make a wish that big? How did she know how to use the Floo in the first place? And what are we going to do about Keelie Harkness? She is not fit to be in charge of a stuffed crup never mind a lively little girl."

"One problem at a time, Remy, one at a time," Severus mused, giving him a final squeeze and moving across to the Floo.

A handful of powder and a properly called address found Hermione in the fireplace looking pleasantly surprised to see them both in her fire. "Here? At Malfoy Manor? Oh my Lord, you must have been frantic! How long was the little beast missing? Two hours? Oh no! Are you both all right? Are you sure she is here? Hang on. Winken! Has Miss Galadriel got a friend in to play today?"

There was a confused popping of house-elf then a high-pitched squeak of ascent. Hermione put her head back into the fire and nodded grimly. "Yes, Miss Angelinus is playing dolls with Miss Galadriel and both are in the old nursery where they know they are not supposed to play. So, it seems we both have young ladies who need reminding that rules are not there to be broken at will but for their own protection." There was a hardness in Hermione's usually soft voice that brought back echoes of times past and retribution to come. "How do you want to play it?"

"Do you have any really good remember-crystals of people getting splinched in your library?" Severus asked with a smirk. "Let's be sure to scare the living daylights out of all the little beasts in case anyone decides it might be a fun thing to try again for their own amusement."

Hermione nodded agreement and asked them both to dinner.


	19. Consequences

Chapter 18 - Consequences Chapter 18 _- Consequences_

Angelinus and Galadriel were happily building playhouses out of the old dustsheets in the old nursery. They had brought a selection of Silky's dolls and some old toy hit wizards belonging to Thorn up from the new nursery so as not to be disturbed by either the house-elves or a curious sibling. Silky rarely had a friend of her very own and there was a certain amount of protective jealousy and a need keep her company to herself for once. The afternoon had flown and both had had real fun but now it was getting late and Angelinus was getting hungry. Going home again was not going to be so easy because she was scared. When she'd first stepped into the green flames and said Silky's house, she had been spun up and jiggled a lot but it wasn't like when the uncles held her close and safe, it was bumpy and scary and soot got in her eyes and mouth when she opened it to scream. Then she had sort of tumbled as well as spun and something had said 'address error, diverting to Sutherland central'. She had panicked and screamed for Silky then suddenly had tumbled out of the air onto the hearthrug right at Silky's feet!

The little girl had been astonished but not upset, hugging her friend and immediately falling in with her plans for an afternoon full of fun and frolic, without her older siblings teasing her. Angelinus was equally protective and jealous of her friendship with Silky and did not want the older Malfoy children to spoil their plans and games. At five years old the idea of consequences didn't last too long and when Angelinus decided she wanted to go home but was a bit scared, Silky had suggested getting her Mum to send Gelin home. Hand in hand the two little girls skipped down the corridor and into the living room just as Severus emerged from the fire and straightened to spell himself clean of ash. With a happy giggle, Angelinus threw her arms around his leg and hugged tightly, only to be gently disengaged and stood carefully on her feet before him.

"So, young lady, what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked, staring down with hooded eyes as the child looked up in puzzled hurt.

"Hi," she muttered and glanced around but even Uncle Remy looked remote and angry and Aunt Hermione was taking Silky away by the hand. "Are you angry with me?" she asked, digging a toe into the carpet and holding her hands behind her back.

"We were frightened," Remus said flatly. "You did something very naughty when you jumped into the Floo with no real place to go. You are only lucky you managed to get out alive and in one piece."

"But I was bored! Miss Harkness was sleeping again and she wouldn't let me do anything. I wanted to play with Silky." The little girl protested shooting an angry look from under her brows. If it wasn't so serious, it would have been funny as they looked like book-ends.

Severus knelt down and placed both hands on the child's shoulders, making her look at him. "You could have been killed, or ended up in a very bad place where people torture children for their own purposes. You could have been lost forever and we would never have found you again. It was only good luck that you got here in the first place and it was only by good luck that Uncle Remus has a spell on him to attach you to him. If anything happened to you, it could hurt Uncle Remus too because of that spell and would you like that to come true?"

"NO!" Angelinus was horrified. Uncle Remy was her cuddle-bug and, no she couldn't hurt her uncles, either of them, not on purpose, ever! She began to cry in earnest but Severus refused to soften just yet.

"We have some pictures to show you of what can happen if something goes wrong in the Floo, just to help you understand why we were so worried. You must _never_ go through the Floo unless you are supervised or you have proper directions from an adult. Understood?"

"Yes, Uncle Severus," she gulped, accepted the handkerchief he held out to her and was suddenly engulfed in the black robes still redolent in potions smells. "I'm really, really truly sorry, Uncle Sevvy, really I am."

Picking her up, he pulled Remus into a three-way hug, thankful to have his family back together again without any lasting harm. "And don't call me Sevvy," he added grumpily into her honey gold hair.

oo0oo

Late that night with Remus resting his head on Severus' shoulder as they lay in their bed, Severus sighed deeply. "What are we going to do, Remy? She needs someone to look after her during the day, to take an interest in her and not just keep her out of trouble by locking her up. Someone to teach her primary lessons in a way that keeps her interested and eager to learn without crushing her spirit."

"I could take a leave of absence from my classes and look after her full time until the end of term. It's only a month until the summer holidays don't forget."

"No, that's not the answer either. For that matter I could take the sabbatical alternatively but we need to make some thought for next term too. Even if she is in school during the day, she will need caring for after school while we hold office hours and she will need taking to school every morning. No, we need a responsible person to help us out, to look after her here in the quarters as well as supervise her when we are at work. Let me think on it. In the mean time, how are you coping? What a fright and upset to happen so close to full moon! You're inner wolf must have been going mad."

"Not as much as yours I would think," Remus teased gently, rising on an elbow to look down on his mate. "You realise you nearly went to Azkaban again this afternoon, don't you? God, Sev! You terrified me more than anything in this world. I don't think I could bear to lose you now, and that poor, sad little girl didn't deserve to die either. I don't think it was _my_ inner wolf we had to beware of, was it?"

Severus moved impatiently. "I'm sorry, alright, I lost my grip. I never had anyone to really care about before you came into my life and now I have all three of you and quite frankly Remus, I don't know how to be logical and rational about _any_ of you! Today it was Angelinus, tomorrow it might be you and then how would I react? Loving people is very difficult, isn't it?"

"Is it worth it?" Remus asked, reluctant to hear the answer.

For an answer he was all but smothered in a desperate, needy grip that almost suffocated him as he was drawn deeper into his partner's arms and all doubts fled as they made slow, intense love.

oo0oo

Severus had never been a regular visitor to the Burrow but he had been on a number of occasions during the war. He had always had the impression of bustling warmth and chaotic welcome from the cluttered, food scented kitchen to the quiet, contemplative parlour. After the war the functions he attended at the Burrow were always large family gatherings with an ever-increasing number of children underfoot. Today as he entered the gate and knocked at the open half door, he was a little shocked at the state of disrepair and air of neglect coming from the old home. He had never noticed how time and lack of interest had ravaged the once bustling household, reducing it to a… a virtual hovel. His visit was unannounced and he wondered briefly if Molly Weasley was not at home when something stirred deep in the depths of the kitchen.

Like a troll emerging from its cave, Molly hove into sight, slumped and drooping as she pulled the stretched out cardigan back up her shoulder and hitched up her grubby, faded apron a little. She looked as if she had slept in her wrinkled and soiled clothes, her hair a bright red bird's nest, with threads of grey poking out in all different directions. Even her face looked crumpled and grubby, unloved and unlovely in the early morning light. Severus wondered if his mission was too late, or if he would be just in time to salvage something of this human wreck of a once vital individual.

"Who is it?" Molly asked her voice rusty with disuse and lack of interest. "Oh, it's you, Severus. What do you want?"

"I would like to speak to you for a few moments, if you can spare the time," Severus replied at his most haughty. He waited until she invited him in before he stepped over the threshold and looked around in mild disgust. "I am wondering if you are willing to listen to a proposition I have for you."

Waving him into a chair and taking a rough, almost automatic swipe at the rather dirty table, Molly swung her cauldron over the fire purely by habit rather than conscious thought. "What sort of proposition?" she asked vaguely as she made tea by manual methods much to Severus' surprise. Her tone was so disinterested that Severus simply sat and studied her - much as one studied and interesting bug under a magnifying charm - as she shuffled her way though the accumulated mess in the kitchen, not at all the house proud matriarch of a huge, prospering family but a care-worn old woman with too much time and too much sorrow on her shoulders.

Almost embarrassed to witness such decay, he averted his eyes and saw the clock on the wall. Of all the hands, four hung straight down, no longer alert, their animators dead and gone. One hand was snapped straight off near the base so no one could tell where it was pointing but it seemed to be in the direction of travelling at the moment. That was Percy's hand, Percy who had almost betrayed them during the war, who had chosen to turn a blind eye to the war efforts his family were making and in the end that had chosen exile first to Azkaban as Warder and later to Minister for Foreign affairs, rather than the harsh criticism levelled by the few surviving members of his family after the war. It had surprised Severus that Percy had not endured the criticism and been reconciled, even if the initial coldness was harsh. After all, family was family and everyone was looking for someone weren't they? Ron's hand was at work, Ginny's hand was at home and Charlie's hand was at the pub. A second clock to the right showed the numerous grandchildren, mostly at school at this time of day, or with their mother at home, in Desiree's case.

Severus' contemplation was broken by the rattle of china on wood, a cup of tea and a piece of fruit pie slapped in front of him. He had to admit; no one made tea or baked goods like Molly Weasley, even this faded and worn version of her. "Thank you, Molly," he murmured, taking a bite for politeness sake before folding his hands on his lap and contemplating her carefully. "As you know, Remus and I have a child now, of five years. You met her a few weeks ago right here in the garden."

"Seemed a pretty little thing but awfully shy," Molly commented, sipping her own tea.

"Yes, well, she may be shy but she is full of mischief and is a handful to keep track of. She is driving Remus and I to despair!" he muttered, and began to relate the adventures of Angelinus, sparing nothing of their fears, embarrassments and joys at the little girl's antics.

Molly listened in fascination, watching the expressions flit across the usually so controlled face, amazed that Severus Snape would even put tongue to the words 'I feared for her'. From his narrative she did gather that the little minx had both men wrapped around her small, extremely spoiled little finger and she played them both like a master. Molly was even more surprised when he stopped her commenting on the child's behaviour and began to tell her about the unfortunate accident that had led to there being two souls in one body and that the child was actually twins.

"Ah! That explains a lot. I always found with those two terrors that they would egg each… each…." She burst into tears and hid her face in her apron. "Oh go away and leave me to my misery in peace!" She sobbed angrily when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I cannot do that. Too many people have indulged you in your wallowing, and it is about time you were dragged from this disgusting display of over-sentimentality. Arthur and the boys are dead and gone. They were killed most horribly and are laid to rest out there on the hill; this is a fact. They do not exist in this world anymore. All they have left here is a place in their family's memories but - my God, woman - you are determined to make even their memories hated for what they are doing to you and the family you have left. Look at yourself! The brightest, most efficient and prolific mother in the wizarding world reduced to a slattern who cannot even be bothered to wash her face or comb her hair! And this is the image of proud motherhood? Arthur would be ashamed of you." Rising to his feet he sneered down his nose at her in complete, supercilious disgust.

He'd forgotten how fast she was! Her wand drawn and a very nasty hex on its way to him before he could jump back and yell _Protego_. A complex disorientation hex was winging out even as he pulled his black wand and cast dissolve at it, sending a tickler out after Molly, which only made her madder. He was not trying to hurt her, only force her out of her apathy but she caught him with a _Crudus Lippio_ making it almost impossible to see as his eyeballs blurred and began to bleed. Angry, he cast _Expelliarmus_ at her twice in succession, pleased to get a reaction on the second shot and a slap in the chest by a wand.

"Damn it, Molly old girl, you haven't lost your touch," he gasped, casting _Finite Incantatem_ on himself and blinking hard to clear his vision. "Do you…."

She hit him with a cast iron pot and cold-cocked him.

"I'd never have gotten my Arthur with that one," Molly commented as he began to rouse and realised he was lying on the sofa in the kitchen, a large compress on his head. "Now lie still, you long streak of misery, while that healing charm does its work. Still life in the old girl yet, you see?" She grinned almost evilly as she picked up yet another old newspaper and stuffed it into a rubbish bin. "Right! So why is the premier Death Eater cum spy laying his life on the line once again to get Molly Weasley interested in the land of the living, one has to wonder? You've spun a pretty tale of a badly done by child and a pair of old gays who have bitten off more than they can chew, but what is it to do with me."

"You're the Über-Mother, you work it out!" Severus snapped, cradling his aching head and wincing at her candid summing up of the situation. After all, he had not been kind to her either. "Damn it, Molly, did you have to hit me that hard?"

"Yes. It was fun, haven't had a good argument, or even a decent conversation for… well, what seems like years. No one speaks to me like I mean something anymore." She ignored his snort of disgust at her self-pitying speech, straightening her back abruptly. Bloody Snape always knew just how to spark her temper and made her angry – or feel like she was actually alive – she added in silent honesty. "Oh give over, you big baby, it was barely a tap."

"Arthur was a braver man than any of us knew," he muttered under his breath grimly. "Look, we need you and your abilities to raise good, strong and reliable children. You did a fantastic job with your own children, and now Remus and I are begging. We love Angelinus, but we aren't good for her. We don't instinctively understand what she needs, what she will do or how she will react in a given situation. She still cries for her parents at night and it's tearing Remus apart. She needs to run and play and be a carefree little child, but being locked up in a Hogwarts suite is not the place for that. Here, in the Burrow, she can go out into the garden and kick gnomes or whatever you do, play on the swing and mess about in the kitchen. You have a plague of Kneazles here, she can chase them and cuddle them and do whatever little girls do to Kneazles, instead of terrorising the house-elves and trying to get them to play dress-ups with her."

Molly burst out laughing. "So how many did she set free?"

Severus smirked wryly. "None, as yet; we sort of explained that you couldn't give clothes to elves, not even doll clothes and we told the elves that they were to just pretend they didn't hear if she did offer, stopped the hysterics, you know."

"I'm not that practiced with girls," Molly temporised as she scrubbed the table down with swift, sure strokes, the mess disappearing as the housekeeping charms reactivated to her renewing will. "Besides, she didn't seem to like me at the picnic."

"She was just shy."

"Hmm, maybe she was. And what sort of things do you think I should do with this moppet?"

"I don't know. Take her out to the park; look after her as if she was another of your grand children. Maybe take her to visit Hermione's middle one, the albino girl, you know."

"Galadriel, you mean? The second youngest one who looks like Narcissa did before Lucius screwed with her mind. I don't know what it is with those Malfoys and their peculiar names."

"I think they only do it to be interesting," Severus muttered wickedly and both laughed evilly. "Look, come and meet Angelinus and see how you fare. It's only for a month until term ends and the exams are over. If it works out… well then we'll think about after-school care next year too."

"Alright, I can't see why we can't give it a shot; see what happens, but not today. And before you go all rigid and poker up, I want to spend the day looking after this old place. I have to admit I've let a lot of things slip while I've been so downright depressed and now you've stirred me all up again, I hate to see the mess I've created. Give me the day to tidy myself up and I'll Floo in at eight o'clock tomorrow morning for breakfast."

"Thank you, Molly, thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate the effort."

"Don't get too excited just yet, my lad, there's a small matter of fee for service we still need to discuss." There was a very mercenary light in Molly's eyes and Severus realised a new phase of the battle was about to be rejoined. He grinned back maniacally, ready to negotiate with someone who was up to his weight in an argument, something they were both about to enjoy immensely!


	20. Return To Life

**Author's Note:** Greetings folks. First apologies. I had a major crash last week, hard drive decided to give up the ghost so I missed a week's post, most sorry for that. So, I will endeavour to catch up again. Now thanks. Some of you have been reading my stories all the way through from STY right up to Angel. You have also posted comments and words of encouragement which I have to admit are still unexpected and very, very welcome. I would love to name you all but as I say, hard drive rattles are not a desired feature of a laptop, believe me. So, all I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. I am glad you are enjoying my story and here is the next chapter, or last weeks chapter anyway.

Regards

Les

Chapter 19 - _Return to life_

Angelinus squirmed uncomfortably in her chair at the breakfast table, sitting between her uncles with the strange, red haired woman sitting opposite. Usually they had breakfast in the Great Hall, but today they were eating in the suite. Even Uncle Severus was up and dressed for the day, looking a little sleepy, it was true, and he hadn't quite combed his hair properly but he was awake and he had bowed to the woman when she came in through the Floo. And he had showed her to her seat, like she was important or part of the family. Uncle Severus was only really polite to family like Uncle Dragon and Aunty 'Mione. Uncle Remus was fussing and fluttering, but he was close to moon so he was a bit upset when _anyone_ came into the suite, apart from them, so that didn't count. Suspicious, Angelinus nibbled her toast and vegemite slowly, never taking her eyes off the invader.

Molly chatted to Remus and ignored Severus' sleepy grumbles as she ate the breakfast the house-elves had brought down. She studied the little girl covertly from the corner of her eyes and knew the child was suspicious about something but not sure what, probably her presence. After all, despite her age, the girl was the queen bee in this hive, and she didn't want her territory invaded by a strange female. Molly could understand that, even if she did think it was cute and rather funny. Finally, Severus folded his napkin and placed it precisely by his plate before turning cold black eyes on the small child, who immediately gave him an angelic smile and folded her hands into her lap too. Oh yes, this was one manipulative little madam, Molly thought, sitting back and preparing to enjoy the coming confrontation. It would be funny to see how the most feared man in the wizarding world defended against a small, determined little girl.

"I am sure you are aware, Angelinus, that after yesterday's near disaster, we cannot leave you in Miss Harkness' charge any more. Obviously she was incompetent and not to be trusted with your well-being. However, leaving you unsupervised is not a viable option. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of speaking to Molly Weasley here, and engaging her to be your carer in future…."

The pompous speech made the little girl's expression go from utterly overdone innocence through puzzlement to shock and finally it morphed into pure furious panic as she all but threw herself off the chair. "NO! I don't want to go away! You can't make me! I won't let you! NO! NO! NO!" she screamed. Hysterical tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she bolted for her bedroom and slammed the door after her with a resounding thud.

Severus and Remus stared at each other with open mouths as Molly shook her head. "Merlin, Severus! Could you have tried for a little _more_ formality? What are you trying to do? Scare her into better behaviour?"

"What? But, but…."

"Oh, do be quiet, Severus, you've done enough damage! Remus, go after her and explain that you aren't sending her away for her bad behaviour and that I will be only here during school hours when you are teaching, instead of Miss Harkness," Molly ordered, and Remus flew off to the door to tap softly, speaking in a low coaxing tone to the blank panels.

"Good Grief! Is that what you think she thought I meant? But she didn't even give me a chance to explain anything before she threw a tantrum! How illogical can she be? Damn it, Molly, do you see why we really do need you?" Severus rubbed a twitching nerve just under his eye with two fingers.

Molly laughed at his wail of frustration. "Seems like she inherited the family trait then. I know someone else who does just that same thing all the time," the woman jibed and was rewarded by a Glare of Messy Death as the tall man straightened his spine abruptly. They glared at each other over a few feet in angry silence, neither one giving an inch until the background murmuring of Remus' begging and pleading became the dominant sound in the room.

Breaking the glaring contest, Severus turned to snap at his partner in frustration. "For Merlin's sake, Remus, use _Alohomora_, she always locks the door unconsciously when she's in a mood."

Molly blinked, washing the dryness from her eyeballs with a secret smile. She'd won the staring contest by default and distraction. "She does wandless magic that easily?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

Shaking her head in resignation, Molly laughed when she realised the tall man was not trying to wind her up again, but was dead serious. "Maybe that is true in your family, Severus, but not in most others. So, let's see what we can salvage from this fiasco." Dropping her napkin on her chair and pulling her wand, Molly crossed to where Remus was about to charm the door and did her own unlocking spell with no fuss, one she had devised to counteract her twins' rather advanced efforts. Stepping into the room, she glanced around and whistled softly at the beautifully decorated area. This was a dream room fit for a princess and any little girl would adore it. They had certainly gone overboard!

Remus slipped past her on silent feet, fell to his knees and burrowed under the bed, hauling the little girl out and pulling her into his lap. She immediately flung her arms around the werewolf and set up a loud sobbing that was heartbreaking in its terror and sadness. "Ah baby, we aren't sending you away. You're _our_ cub and we don't give up our cubs for anyone, not even on the orders of the Ministry. Now, let's wipe your eyes, blow your nose and come back to listen to what Severus really has to say."

"Oh, stay where you are, Remus, we're all assembled here anyway." Severus sighed. "Angelina and Linus Morecombe-Lupin-Snape I would like to formally introduce you to Molly Weasley, who is the mother of Aunt Ginny and Uncle Ron and is the grandmother of William, Maria Martha and Kathleen Weasley as well as Lillian and Paul Potter. Now, do contain your hysterics and make your greeting properly."

Still sniffling and snuffling, her body shaking with the suppressed sobs, the little girl rose stiffly from her uncle's lap and rubbed at her eyes as she made a fairly good attempt at a formal curtsey. Molly returned the courtesy a little creakily, her heart breaking as shuddering sighs wracked the little body but to her surprise, the little girl threw herself at Severus rather than Remus when Severus nodded approval. Even more surprising, she was engulfed in black linen robes as Severus stood up and carried her out into the breakfast nook murmuring soothingly in her ear.

Remus pulled himself to his feet with a groan and grinned at Molly's obviously baffled expression. "I don't know either. They're besotted with each other really, despite the similarity in temperament and the sparks that fly if they cross wills with each other. Yet they both get a kick out of pulling on those terrible, pure-blood manners then almost going straight over the top into a parody of good breeding."

"Severus always was as queer as a bottle of sausages, half snob and half malicious mischief when the devil bit him," Molly muttered as they exited the room.

"I heard that," Severus warned as he settled Angelinus on his lap. "Now, Angel, we are not sending you off in disgrace, you silly chit. Where would we send you anyway? The moon? No, that was a sarcastic improbability not an exciting possibility, my girl! We are having Molly look after you from eight-thirty in the morning until four-thirty in the afternoon as Miss Harkness used to do. However, I can guarantee that Molly will be a lot better and a lot more active than that stupid sot of a girl. It will be your responsibility to take note of what Molly teaches you, co-operate in her schemes and be on you best behaviour when she takes you out. Remember, your behaviour reflects on Remus and me. Molly is a role-model well worth copying."

"Okay, Uncle Severus, I'll be good now." The girl nodded vigorously, rubbing her eyes to smear the tear tracks thoroughly. "Will we still eat lunch together?" she asked wistfully, not averse to seeking reassurance after her scare.

"Of course," Severus murmured in surprise. "How else are we to make sure you have not disposed of the baby sitter and Floo-ed off to the ends of the earth with not even a toothbrush in you robe-pocket?"

Silvery giggles burst out of the child as she planted a sloppy kiss on her uncle's cheek then slid down to run to Remus and kiss him too. The small family spent half an hour reassuring each other and introducing Molly properly, the little girl finally accepting the red haired woman with a little less reserve by the time her uncles had to leave for their classes. Remus rose reluctantly and ruffled her hair as he gathered his things for the first lesson of the day. "Please be good, you put enough grey hairs on my head yesterday to last the rest of the week," he told her as he and Severus headed for the door. Severus merely looked at the child who nodded back, biting her lip.

Molly moved cautiously to stand beside the child as the two men left then turned to smile down, only to have the small flower-like face turned up to study her carefully. She was nothing like Severus to look at, but at the same time, was remarkably like him in expression and gesture. The child was obviously intelligent and wary of this stranger, another stranger in her life that had seen such upheaval recently. Molly could only sympathise with the little mite and do her best to ease her confusion and pain. "So, how about you show me that wonderful room your uncles have made for you?" Molly asked and was rewarded by a tentatively agreeable smile.

Having never been in the Potions Master's quarters, Molly was curious and not averse to poking her head into the doors leading off the hallway, despite the child's small frown of discontent at her snooping. She was not particularly surprised to find the master bedroom was furnished in mahogany with heavy black, silver and green curtains. She _was_ surprised to see other colours added in bright accents of red, gold and orange and decided these must be Remus' contributions to the decor of their home.

Angelinus' room was nearly as big as the master bedroom and was as well appointed as any child's room Molly had ever seen, fit for a princess, had been her first thought and that impression was only confirmed on closer inspection. Bookshelves and toy cabinets occupied a lot of the wall space, a huge picture window dominated one wall and a round bed shaped like a daisy filled a good part of the floor. The unoccupied walls were a riot of colour and animated animals on a painted landscape that seemed to change constantly. Even the carpet represented a grassy field with its pretty green shading and dots of colour and the ceiling had clouds, not quite so animated as the Great Hall, but nearly so.

"Grandpa Albus made it for me," Angelinus confirmed when Molly asked. "Uncle Severus said it would keep me awake all night but it doesn't 'cus, when the sun goes down, the walls turn into a comfy cottage and the sky makes a proper ceiling. Or if you ask nicely it can be a cave or a tent or a forest or a car or a caravan or, or anything at all!"

"You're very lucky." Molly laughed with her. A row of framed pictures on one shelf caught her eye and she studied the couple in the nearest one. The woman looked so much like Severus; it was uncanny, not as dark in hair or eye but the same long, narrow nose on a long, narrow face. Even one eyebrow was raised in the photo, the opposite to Severus' habitual smirk. The man looked firm but not harsh, a man who worked hard and knew what he had done at the end of the day. He had a reliable chin and kind eyes. Even though it was a Muggle photo and quite static the love could clearly be seen in both the adults' eyes as they stared out of the glossy paper.

"My daddy and my mummy," Angelinus said, leaning into Molly's side and folding her hands on the older woman's shoulder to rest her chin, a long, heartfelt sigh shaking her. "They got killed by a bad fire, all burned up and everything. Daddy said he would never leave Mummy and he didn't, not even when the bushfire came. The Kouris said Mummy was caught under a rafter when the ceiling fell down on her and Daddy couldn't get her out 'cus the timbers were burning up. They didn't know we were listening but we were until Aunty Elsa Mundingi caught us and gave us a cuddle 'cus we were crying then. Sometimes I miss them so much!" The soft voice ended on a wail and the little girl threw herself into the older woman's arms not realising the tears were not all her own. Molly had her own dead to mourn and this child was pulling strings she had not realised were still there with her sad little confessions and obvious distress.

"Aye, Lovey, we miss them so much every single day, but then we have to think they are together as they always were and always should be, probably pulling clever and silly pranks, or collecting Muggle junk or running off to see what's over the next hill as usual. So, we had better learn to accept that they won't be back this way again and get on with building a new life until we do catch up with them in the next." Sighing deeply, Molly produced a couple of handkerchiefs, moped them both up and shook her head with a grin. "So, we've sat our little sit and wept our little weep. Let's do something fun now. What would you like to do?"

By a mixture of games, stories and exercises, Molly had decided that the little one needed some preparing for school next year but not too much as she was fairly well advanced on most of her counting, printing and alphabet, as much as any five year old should be. If the Snapes planned to put her into Hogsmeade Primary, she would fit right in with the rest of the children starting first class infants.

House-elves popped into the suite at odd times, and Molly were amused to see how the little girl interacted with them, treating them with an odd mixture of grave dignity and excited hyperactivity. The house-elves weren't much better, running to see what she was doing. Did she want anything to eat or drink or play with? Could they do anything? Was she happy? Did she want to play? Was she being a good girl? Finally Molly decreed that they were to leave Angelinus in peace until mid morning teatime when they could bring in a drink and a snack for both of them. Angelinus gave the most persistent elf named Desky a hand full of sticky sweets as a present, which made the elf almost melt on the spot and swear eternal allegiance, again it seemed.

By the time lunch came around the morning's upsets and traumas were not even a vague memory on the little girl's horizon, and she skipped at Molly's side as they walked down to the Great Hall for lunch. She was full of chatter and excited comments, stopping to talk to the portraits and introduce Molly to them with unaffected enthusiasm.

Half the long tables were full, the rest filling up rapidly as Molly allowed the little girl to tow her into the Great Hall through the door behind the teacher's table. They were barely in when Angelinus dropped Molly's hand and ran forward to where Severus was already seated. He rose and bowed most formally to the little one, who promptly curtseyed with equal formality before allowing her uncle to pick her up and seat her on her high chair, the legs extended so she could reach the table easily. Molly shook her head in amusement but was distracted when a high-pitched squeak drew her attention.

"Molly! So good to see you! Oh, how well you look!"

"Minerva! How are you, my dear? I haven't seen you since… Oh, the medal ceremony! It must be all of ten years!"

"My goodness, where does the time go?" Minerva exclaimed as she too did the calculations and gasped.

The two older witches hugged and laughed, going into an immediate gossip huddle and didn't stop talking for the rest of the meal. Even Albus was drawn into the happy conversation, the new faculty members quickly introduced to the newcomer without hesitation.

For some, like Lydia Halfpenny, having _the_ Molly Weasley sitting at their table just like a real person instead of a hero in a storybook was almost mind-boggling. The fact that the older witch was so normal and down to earth was equally astounding. Severus, keeping half an ear on his child's sitter, had to smother a snort of amusement at the girl's almost reverent hero worship, and earned a backhand swipe across the arm from Molly to shut him up. Minerva smirked at him over Molly's shoulder as he rubbed the spot ostentatiously then glared at one or two open mouthed students who had caught the by-play. If he chose to relax with his peers, what business was it of the dunderheads?

"So, did you have fun with Molly this morning?" Remus asked Angelinus, deftly cutting up her meat into bite sized pieces.

Angelinus chattered away, more animated than they had seen her for a long time. "And we're going to take a walk at the lake today. Molly said."

"Don't fall in; I fear it is too cold for swimming just yet," Severus warned.

"Can we go to the beach soon? I saw the sea when Sandy took me to the airport but I've never been to the beach."

"Depending on a few contingencies, I though we might go to the south of France during the holidays and perhaps pop into Spain for the beaches," Severus said off-handedly as they ate sweets.

Remus' mouth dropped open before snapping shut again. "Not if the Ministry has any say."

"Bugger the Ministry," Severus said evenly, an evil smile curving his lip. "You leave the blasted Ministry to me."


	21. Werewolf Sitting

Chapter 20 – Werewolf Sitting Chapter 20 – _Werewolf Sitting_

At lunchtime the following day, Severus placed a hand on Molly's arm to detain her for a moment. She looked up enquiringly, still holding Angelinus' hand.

"Er, today, er, is a bit awkward, Molly," Severus began uncomfortably. "You see, it's full moon and for obvious reasons, Remus is indisposed. Unfortunately, the moon actually rises at two thirty nine pm today, in one hour. This means he will actually change in daylight and for him, it is the hardest change of all, despite Wolfsbane potion, or anything else I can do to help." There was a wealth of bitterness in the softly spoken addendum.

"Oh good grief, poor Remus. His curse just never ends, does it? Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want me to take Angelinus off to the Burrow for the rest of the day? I promise to keep her safe."

"No!" Angelinus wailed after listening silently to the adults converse over her head. "I want my Moony. Uncle Severus, you promised!"

"I did, and I do not break promises," Severus said firmly. "No, Molly, my dilemma is this. Moony will stay in the suite quite happily and he can keep an eye on Angelinus without problem, but it isn't very fair to either of them. For many years Moony has been confined during full moon and he did not do well. Since I have been taking him out, he has been more cheerful as a human and is actually growing a little stronger, the wolf not consuming him so completely during transition. I promised to let him have a run down by the lake and to take a ball with me so he can chase it. Angelina has spent a lot of her time here at Hogwarts locked up in a suite which is not how she was brought up in Australia with its wide open spaces and lots of room to run around. They will both sulk severely if I break my promise and that is not exactly something I look forward to, I assure you." He pulled a wry face and Molly had to laugh with him. "So, er, I wonder if you would mind babysitting the werewolf as well as the child. He's quite harmless, I do assure you, and he is well trained, doesn't need a leash or anything."

Molly's mouth hung open and she snapped it close with an audible snap. "Good Godric! I knew this job would definitely be different and interesting, but I never thought it would involve pet… Oh dear, that was a nasty thing to even think."

"Pet care services? Don't worry, I have already told him that." Severus smirked, and Angelinus laughed remembering the indignant Remus chasing Severus around the suite and all of them landing in a tickling heap on the sofa too. It had been a grand game!

"Please, Grandma Molly, I love Moony and he's good; nice and soft and furry and he can play chase and catch and he can run very fast," Angelinus pleaded, her eyes large and soft, her lashes almost fluttering as she begged. It was a face she had developed recently and it worked like a charm on the other professors at the school, although Uncle Severus was somewhat immune to her pleading.

Molly huffed and nodded reluctantly. "Werewolf babysitter, no one would ever believe it! Very well, since it's Remus, we'll give it a try, it can't hurt."

In their rooms, Remus paced around the room wringing his hands in distress. He had tried to talk Severus out of approaching Molly with such an outrageous request but to no avail. How would she react? Would she run away screaming or be disgusted or terrified or… Prejudice against his kind in the wizarding world was still running high and no matter that he had known the Weasleys for best part of thirty years, Molly was still a pure-blood witch of her times. It was almost like asking her to tolerate having a wild hippogriff in her home. Such an imposition! He dropped to the edge of the bed and cradled his head in his hands. As much as his transformations were controlled by Wolfsbane and almost pain-free thanks to Severus' gift, he was still distrustful of himself. A lifetime's worth of pain-enforced lessons was not forgotten or unlearned in just two months, and he knew exactly what he was capable of as a werewolf. Oh, Angelinus was safe with him, she was his cub after all and too young as yet to pose a threat to Moony's pack sense, therefore she could be with him even as an uncontrolled wolf and she would be safe, but Molly? A whole different story, as was the moon coming up in the daytime. It wasn't often that the moon came up in the very middle of the three full moon days, during the daylight hours and during the summer; when it did, it was almost more terrifying than when it happened at night. There was no logic in this, just a feeling of wrongness that went even further than the usual uneasiness of transformation.

He rose to pace again, padding barefoot across the bedroom's hearthrug in a smooth swinging stride reminiscent of his alter-ego. Deep in his worried thoughts, he barely registered the door open but turned rapidly, defensively when he felt eyes upon him. Severus was leaning his shoulders against the doorjamb watching him struggle with his inner demons. Without a word, he glided forward and wrapped long, thin arms around Remus' body, pulling him in close and protectively.

"I love you, it will be okay," Severus muttered into his hair, smoothing his back under the light robe he wore. There were already changes to Remus' smoothly muscled shoulders, a lumpiness that was not entirely human anymore. Carefully he eased Remus back and loosened the cord of the dressing robe, easing it off his shoulders before turning him toward the bed. Puzzled, Remus went with the flow, crawling up onto the counterpane before he realised he was starting the change so painlessly and so slowly; he had missed the first bending due to his agitated state of mind. That couldn't be good!

"Sev, I love yo--" Remus began to say, but the last syllable was lost as his skull began to deform and the first hit of agony lanced through his jaws. He moaned and whined, the wrenching of muscles and joints all too familiar. His hands clung to Severus forearms, Severus' long fingers wrapped around his forearms to complete the hold, until his fingers became wolf toes and the nails left deep red claw marks on Severus' sallow skin. Fortunately they did not break the skin and Severus did not let go despite his mate's jerking and writhing.

In the sitting room, Molly heard the very odd noise and rose to peer in at the open door. She almost gasped in horror, automatically making a warding sign against evil, when she saw Remus arch high, writhing and twitching as fur tided over his thoroughly misshapen torso. Arrested, it was not Remus' physical pain that tore into her soul but the sheer, abject misery on Severus' face. Always a man of action, he had to sit there helplessly and watch his love being tortured near to death, unable to do anything but witness and pray for a quick end. In all the years she had known Snape, she had never seen him register any emotion except anger but in the last two days she had come to realise he was no wooden puppet. With exquisite delicacy few would have ever realised she was capable of; Molly Weasley silently shut the door.

Moony slept in a loose furry ball, pressed tightly against Severus' legs. He always had a period of unconsciousness after transforming, whether it was simple sleep or lack of consciousness, Severus did not know as he sat still, ignoring the cramping in his legs under the werewolf's heavy weight. He would not have disturbed the huge animal for anything in the world, including Voldemort's third coming! He used the time to pull his emotions back under control and to pray to whichever power guided fates that once again Moony would survive transformation with the minimum of damage and the maximum of ease. Stroking the savage head resting so trustingly on his feet, Severus made sure to remove all traces of the involuntary tears he often shed during Remus' time of torture. In some ways it would have been easier if he was the victim rather than the witness but…

Moony stirred and stretched, the huge jaws opening in a tendon-cracking yawn as he uncurled and rose smoothly. Stretching his spine he yawned again and turned his head to swipe a lick down the side of Severus' face before bouncing off the bed and giving an odd sort of chuff noise as wolves did not bark like dogs. Severus shook his head and grabbed as Moony shoved his muzzle deep into Severus' crotch to sniff appreciatively. Something stirred and Moony yelped in amusement as he dived on his mate and pinned him to the mattress with his greater weight. Severus struggled against him but ended up pounding on his side in submission until Moony rolled off and lay on his back, his legs waving uncoordinatedly in mid air. Severus shook his head and laughed as he scrubbed Moony's belly and rubbed his face on the side of his jaw.

"Come on, Wild Child, time to meet your adoring public," Severus chuckled as he rose from the bed and straightened his robes fastidiously before leading the way out.

Angelinus had seen Moony in the previous transition and was not at all shocked when the huge werewolf pranced out of the bedroom and galloped over to her, all but bowling her over in his enthusiasm. She giggled and threw her arms around his neck burying her face in his soft buff ruff and swinging off his neck. "Moony! Look what I have for you? It's a surprise!" She laughed, grabbing an ear and towing the huge animal off toward her bedroom.

Moony went with her as she had hold of the fur in his ear and he was given little choice, leaving Molly and Severus staring at each other across the gulf of the hearthrug.

"Are you alright?" Molly asked quietly as Severus wandered over to the cabinet against the far wall and poured himself a stiff drink.

"My beautiful and loving husband is now a large and potentially dangerous animal, controlled and constrained by the potions that I and I alone am capable of brewing in this school. In the same room is the child I have taken as my own, claimed though wizarding law, family obligation and Dark Blood Rites. I love Remus, I trust him with my heart and my very soul. I do not trust Moony past the potency of my brew. I love them both with everything that I am and I have ever been, and you ask me if I am all right? How 'all right' do you think I should be, Molly Weasley? Quantify it for me. Give me a scale of one to ten then tell me where I should fit. If anything goes wrong in there, I will be destroyed more surely than if Voldemort and all his stupid Death Eaters descended to pull me apart with number ten pliers and soul dissecting hexes." He half laughed, half sobbed as he turned away. "Shocking, isn't it? Professor Snape, greasy git and soulless monster is actually all too human."

Molly rose and moved to his side, wrapping an arm around his narrow, bony waist in a one armed hug. "Many years ago I watched a young boy, no older than my eldest son, put his life on the line again and again in an effort to atone for some crime only he knew or even recognised as a crime. I watched him as he was slowly reduced to the most base and basic elements of his personality. Then, the second time around, he was reduced to even less, a soulless, pitiless courier of secrets, no longer human, and I cried for the loss of his humanity. Even when you were as prickly as a porcupine and twice as hard to reach, I often wondered if the human had been sacrificed on the Altar of the spy. In my heart I sometimes even cursed Albus for what he had done to you so ruthlessly in the name of saving the wizarding world. Today I saw the man that boy evolved into, and it was magnificent." Drawing an emotion-laden sigh, Molly straightened, gave him a parting squeeze and let go as she stepped away, knowing this was a very unusual moment for the usually self-contained man and her comforting hug would not be appreciated or even tolerated at any other time. "Keep the faith, Severus, keep the faith. Now, is there anything I should know about the care and handling of werewolves while we are out and about?"

Severus stared down at the bright, sparkling brown eyes and shook his head to clear away the cobwebs or overcharged emotion. "He'll chase rabbits if you aren't careful, and he likes to roll in the dirt which is a nuisance. He smells extremely doggy if you let him swim in the lake, and he tends to shake water all over you, usually on purpose. Moony had a sense of humour even more juvenile than Remus' usual pranks and tricks. Angelinus thinks it is wonderful, very five-year-old." He huffed but Molly could tell it was more for show than genuine annoyance. "If he needs to eat or drink, make sure the house-elves put his bowl on a chair to raise it to the proper height. Don't let Angelinus ride him too much; it is very hard on him and he pays for it when he switches back again." He pulled his robe straight, brushed a hand though his hair and straightened to his full height. "Well, I have a late class, fourth-years. See you all later."

oo0oo

Moony walked sedately at Angelinus' side until they came to the main entrance hall and the double doors. Slipping out, the werewolf immediately cocked his leg on the gatepost, much to Molly's shock. When she protested, the werewolf looked at her over his shoulder and dropped his jaw in wolfish laughter before padding after the little girl who was running wildly across the grass in a burst of high spirits. Discretely transfiguring her under-robes to a pair of sturdy canvas trousers, Molly set off after her charges, realising she was not as fit as she used to be.

Child and werewolf played a game of tug-o-war with a stick Angelinus picked up, the wolf obviously tempering his much greater strength to the girl's tugging. Finally, he let go and pranced wildly when the child fell on her bum, shaking the stick at him and throwing it into the lake as far as she could. Before Molly could say a word, Moony let out a yelp and plunged after it, swimming strongly through the freezing cold water. Shaking her head, Molly scolded both her charges impartially as she sent a drying spell over the werewolf and a cleaning charm over the grubby child.

Finally they found a nice sunny spot and sat on the conjured blanket to catch their breaths. Angelinus yelled 'Desky' and much to Molly's surprise a small, hyperactive house-elf appeared in an instant and clicked his fingers, producing drinks and snacks and a large beef bone for the wolf. The cracking of bone made Molly shudder, but the little child didn't seem to even notice as she chattered and giggled, telling Molly more of her life in Australia, about her parents, her home-schooling and the people who lived on her property. From what Molly heard, she had the feeling the child had been brought up in a feudal fiefdom much like the early days of their own society. She would fit in well with a certain strata of wizarding society if Severus ever chose to show her how a Head of Family actually ruled his clan.

Thinking about it, Molly was so amused she laughed out aloud, making Moony and Angelinus look at her in askance, but she waved away their attention before standing up and vanishing the mess they had made. "Time to go in," she announced, holding out her hand to the child and gesturing the werewolf lead the way. The two went reluctantly at first then with a laugh and a skip as they forgot their protests.

oo0oo

Turning back was an equally painful process for the werewolf, if not more-so as Remus came back to his human mind with its ability to remember pain and suffering, unlike the wolf which did not retain the memory of pain after a few minutes. Once he was settled in his bed with a hot waterbottle and as many potions as Severus could force down his throat, Angelinus kissed her uncle goodnight and allowed her self to be put to bed. Finally, Severus and Molly sank into opposite chairs and let out identical sighs of exhaustion. It had been a long day and an equally draining evening and both were ready for their beds.

"So Molly, did you enjoy babysitting a werewolf?" he asked as he poured a couple of glasses of Firewhisky and offered the older woman one companionably.

Pursing her lips, Molly though about it for a few minutes. "Yes, actually, we had fun, although they put my heart in my mouth a couple of times. Especially when Moony charged Angel and then jumped over her at the very last minute. Angel seemed to think it was a great joke, but I nearly had Kneazles right there on the lawn!"

Severus laughed appreciatively, knowing just how she felt. "Yes, they are a pair, aren't they? A boy and his Crup, just not exactly how the books portray it, humm?"

They spoke of inconsequential things, lesson plans for Angelinus, the rising cost of basic items. Molly mentioned the repairs to her home she had commissioned and Severus discussed a couple of problem potions he was working on. Eventually the conversation took a more personal tone, Molly asking if Severus was happy in his new marriage, surprised when he was more open than ever before. Smiling her pleasure, she was a little surprised when Severus became very thoughtful. "How are you coping with rejoining the land of the living?"

It was an unusual question for the Potions Master to ask as he was usually totally incurious about other peoples' state of emotional wellbeing and she stared at him for a second as if puzzled by the question. "It's interesting. I've mourned hard and I've mourned long, and I think it is now time to start considering the living rather than the dead. After all, I have three children who are still on life and each is making their own ways in the world. Two are settled and have fine families on the way, but Charlie seems to be a little lost to the real and necessary, don't you think? Perhaps he needs his mother to look out for his interests," Molly mused thoughtfully.

Severus made a note to owl Charlie a warning at the earliest opportunity.


	22. Love Lies Bleeding

Chapter 21 - Love Lies Bleeding Chapter 21 - _Love Lies Bleeding_

Severus woke up slowly, sprawled luxuriously in the middle of the bed. He stretched his long arms and legs and quickly realised he was alone in the four-poster. Crossing his arms behind his head, he sighed and settled further into the pillows, giving himself time for the sleep to drift out of him. He hated getting up too early but his internal clock was happy to be awake now, indicating it was after ten am at least. A twinge of guilt almost made him stir until he remembered he was entitled to lie in bed and loaf. He was on sick leave! No more classes, no more stupid students, no more exams, just days and days of total relaxation with no one to consider except Remus and the children. And they really needed the peace! The last two weeks of term and indeed, the school year, had been an unmitigated disaster, one that had come very close to losing Severus' life to a classroom accident no less. It had also been a wake-up call regarding his Family business, and he felt he had used the enforced rest wisely.

He sighed, rubbing the line of new scar tissue on his arm and chest reflectively. No matter how many times he protested, somehow Slytherin and Gryffindor always had potions together. He had protested until he was blue in the face, but the stupid tradition still persisted. His classroom had been blown up, set on fire, frozen, turned to glass, gassed, glued and stained beyond all redemption in the battle between the two houses, but the blood on the floor this time was purely Gryffindor drawn, even if Slytherins had shed quite a lot of it.

It had started with the sixth-years of all people. They should have been the most relaxed of the upper classes as they didn't have exams this year and were still immersed in the learning curve rather than the tedious and often wearing revision process. They were making a reasonably complex variant on the _Veritaserum_ potion that could not be circumvented by normal means. It was a twist to the recipe that Severus himself had invented, and he had to admit a quiet pride in his achievement. They were on the last stages of the potion, in fact Abernathy and Hudson of Gryffindor were at the testing point and had each taken the requisite three drops.

Abernathy said something, probably asking the question in a truth or dare style as a typical Gryffindor would. Hudson seemed to turn bright pink and stammer a lot, but the _Veritaserum_ was good and he had no choice but to answer truthfully. The first indication of trouble was a roar of unadulterated fury and the sound of fist hitting jaw. Hudson seemed to fly backwards, stumble over a carelessly discarded book bag and land flat on his back in the middle of the classroom.

Severus turned on a heel, his robes billowing as Abernathy charged forward, only to back pedal hurriedly as Hudson came up with wand in hand. Everyone dived for cover as the impromptu duel gained speed and fire. Laudre of Slytherin shrieked as a stray hex caused his joints to try and reverse themselves, another hex taking out Mary Cox, an obvious Jelly Legs jinx. Their friends hurriedly reversed the curses and everyone ducked behind the nearest bench as Snape flowed onto the scene. His black wand was out, casting _Finite Incantatem_ left and right, sweeping cauldrons and fires aside to safety as the two youths danced and wove with no thought for the spectators they were hexing indiscriminately. Three girls fell back stunned by a _Stupefy_ spell while Snape was finishing off a couple of stray snakes.

He finally turned to the main contenders with an intention to _Stupefy_ both when Abernathy roared, "_Mille Sectum Mutilo Obtrunco" _and Hudson yelled, "_Protego"_ followed by a hasty _Declino_!

Severus heard it coming, the 'Thousand Cuts to Maim' hex, realised the deflect charm had turned the dangerous spell toward him as he stood in front of the rest of the class. He tried valiantly to yell _Concipio_ in an attempt to absorb the fury of the run-away hex before it slashed through the class. He managed to take the brunt on his own shield charm and blunt most of the power, but two or three cuts got through, one flying onward. He grunted as the invisible chopper slashed through the muscle of his upper right arm, his fingers going instantly numb and his wand dropping from his slackened grip. The second unaborted slash laid his chest open from right to left as he ducked down, reaching for his wand with his left hand. He caught it as the third slash opened his forehead straight across his brows, blood instantly blinding him.

Someone screamed from behind Snape as the dull thunk of the hex blade catching someone else made itself known, but he had not stopped moving. Whirling lightly to the left, Severus raised his wand and cast _Petrificus Totalus_ in the direction of the two boys, relying on their shock to hold them in place long enough to let the hex hit. The double thump told him he'd scored two bodies but he was more interested in tracking the 'Thousand Cuts to Maim' curse as it careered around the room smashing into the walls. He could not see for the blood in his eyes but he was well practiced at tracking by sound and followed it for a further two seconds before putting every ounce of command at his touch into the _Finite Incantatem_ he cast at where he felt it should strike next.

He swore bitterly when he heard the fronts of his lead-lighted cabinets smash but the hex was obviously stopped as he sank to his knees, the exertion of the last few minutes taking a toll, he could hardly think for the pain in his almost severed arm. Whimpers and moans of fright came from all around then a hand touched his shoulder and cloth was pressed into his face.

"Professor, are you okay?" Jacob Landre's voice sounded

"I need to stop bleeding and I need someone to cast for me. Who is the best at charms?"

"Morgan and Ivy, get over here, guys. What do they have to cast?"

"The words are _Desino Crudusaum_ and the wand movement is the same as _Protego_. Each may have to cast the spell a couple of times as I think my arm is about to fall off."

"You are kidding? Right?" the panicked young voice asked breathlessly.

"No. Cast the bloody charm and then go get Poppy and maybe Dumbledore too. Hurry!"

Time went pear-shaped as the students did their best in a very nasty situation. Severus knew he had lost consciousness because when he came back to the land of the living, his robes were missing and Remus was casting over him, some spells that no self respecting Light Wizard had a right to know so well. There were other little cameos of consciousness, his cabinets looking forlorn and shattered, ingredients spilled onto the floor. A couple of students clinging to each other, regardless of the red or green they wore. Graham Wanson clutched his leg where Remus cast spells over it, ably supported by Dumbledore; trying to mend severed bones and arteries where the last swing of the hex had almost cut it off.

He'd spent a week in the infirmary, slowly recovering from the terrible wounds. Amazingly, the one he hadn't felt across his chest had proved to be the most near fatal one, laying open skin and muscle to expose his heart and lungs to the light of day. Fortunately, the Blood Charm he had cast over himself earlier that year had lain over the vitals and protected them from the strike or he would have been cut in two. His arm had been replaced and was nearly as good as new already; only a fine pink scar was left to show where Remus had literally glued the two halves back together by strength of will alone. His will and Poppy's skill had shown up in the Wanson boy's reattached leg and his ability to get around with a stick after only four days of intensive treatment.

Laudre, Cox and the three stunned girls had come though with no after-effects, but the two main antagonists were confined to Argus Filch's dungeon until they could be dealt with. Unfortunately, it was up to Severus to deal with them and until he was fit enough to be let out of the Infirmary they had to wait. He had been allowed to stay in the infirmary rather than being transferred down to St Mungo's as the fuss he had created when the suggestion was put forward had been deemed too detrimental to his health.

He smirked in the privacy of his bedroom at the though and settled his shoulders deeper into the down pillow. St Mungo's be damned! Why would he have wanted to go to a large, impersonal hospital when he could tyrannise Poppy right here in her private domain with impunity.

The streams of visitors had also been interesting, more than he'd ever had or expected. Draco and Hermione came in on the first day, shocked and upset but not morbidly so. Hermione had brought him a few books from the Malfoy library to pass the time away, bless her, and he was impressed by the keen insight her selections showed. Draco brought him a slightly illegal potion to help him heal as quickly and as scar-free as possible. The potion proved to be very effective when rubbed into the skin of his forehead, the pink seam fading to almost invisible within an hour of treatment.

Harry and Ginny came when he was feeling a bit more like talking, and they spent the afternoon in quiet conversation on the hexes that had been used, effective counter hexes and the benefits and detriments of using a wand in the wrong hand. Ginny had sat back and listened to the two men discuss the destruction of the human body and spirit with almost clinical disinterest, her own war experience making her shudder. Half way through the gruesome discussion she had slipped away and gone to find Poppy.

Ron turned up without Desiree who had only just presented him with a baby boy, Stephen Arthur. He was quite happy to simply sit by Snape's bed and discuss Quidditch or child rearing or anything else that floated past their relaxing minds. One question Ron did ask, almost off-handedly, made Severus pause for thought.

"Was it a deliberate attempt to murder you?"

"No. I really don't think it was. When we are playing with 'truth or dare', I usually take great care to separate the Slytherins and the Gryffindors, putting them on opposite sides of the room, just in case. These two staunch Gryffindorks should not have been anything but united in the face of the Slytherin menace and yet, two seconds into the questioning, they are flinging hexes and blowing up my bloody cabinets!"

"Not to mention trying to chop off your wind with a blunt axe hex," Ron mused, casting a jaundiced grin at his ex-professor.

"Well, that too, I suppose," Severus agreed morosely. "Damn it, Weasley, I miscalculated!"

"Big time, I'd say."

Severus snorted in disgust. "So, do we expel them or do we keep them in detention for the rest of their lives? My first inclination is to get them as far away from me as possible but that, I feel, would be counter-productive. It would be taking the easy way out."

"Especially when you think you could have them in permanent torture for a whole year, if you keep them," Ron taunted not a little maliciously himself.

"Humm, that's a good point," Severus agreed meditatively, not at all abashed. "Oh well, I suppose I will have to find out why they acted like mad-men before I can make anything like an informed decision. And besides, I'm sure Albus will overturn any decision I make, he usually does."

Ron just laughed at this grim and slightly self-pitying remark. "Well, Dumbledore has been inundated with owls calling for the expulsion and/or jailing of the two miscreants as well as demands for the real story. The Wanson boy's parents want the two bastards hung in chains and left to rot in the dungeon forever and ever!"

"Just the sort of shit fight you want to jump into at a moment's notice!" Severus swore inelegantly.

oo0oo

When he was finally helped up to the headmaster's office, leaning heavily on Remus' shoulders, there were a number of people present, the office again stretched into a conference room. Severus was rather surprised to meet the Wansons senior as well as the Abernathys and the Hudsons, a Muggle couple by the looks of it. The three boys were each seated between their parents, eyeing each other uneasily over the stretch of mahogany. Minerva was also present as Head of House for two of the boys, and of course Wanson was Slytherin. Eased into a chair and propped up by cushions, Severus cast a jaundiced eye over the mixed bunch and glared at the headmaster in disgust.

"Glad you could make it, Severus," Albus said cheerfully, offering a cup of tea as Remus left the room.

Severus' eyes narrowed at this display of bonhomie. "Likewise, although it was a close run thing," he murmured into the poised silence.

"Poppy tells me you should be as good as new by this time next week."

"Why yes, of course," Severus muttered through gritted teeth. "It's very hard to put a good Potions Master down, even with a semi-illegal hex. Enough small talk, what are we to do with our budding junior duellers? Remus assures me they do not show half the enthusiasm in his class as they managed to muster in mine. And I am also surprised that two such staunch Gryffindors should have exhibited such a grasp of the lesser known, dare I say, Dark hexes?"

"Now listen here, Professor Snape, my boy has always been a good boy. He never showed any sign of Darkness before he took the potion…" Abernathy began only to freeze when the flat black gaze pinned him to the spot.

"That I invented for the Aurors? Odd, isn't it? And that his upright Gryffindor Housemate brewed it, rather successfully, I might add. It is also called 'Truth in a bottle'; unavoidable, non-circumvent-able and absolute without varnish or tempering. So, the question remains. Why the sudden attack?" He turned to Minerva with a raised eyebrow.

"The boys have always been the best of friends," Alberta Hudson said in a soft, almost despairing voice. "I really don't understand why they have suddenly come to blows."

"Don't you? They are sixteen, nearly seventeen and they have both been dipping at the same well," Snape said with devastating accuracy, making both boys cringe. "Hormones, urgent itch or undying true love, call it what you will, but both of them have been lusting after the same young lady. Who, I might add, is not as innocent as she might seem in all this, encouraging both with very, er, feminine pride. The girl is Veela and only just coming into her heritage so she is not particularly wise in using or controlling the ability."

"Where _do_ you get your information from?" Minerva marvelled, leaning over to whisper as the others muttered in surprise.

Severus smirked. "It pays to listen to unexpected gossip, upon occasion. Why do you think I was always such a successful spy, my dear? Look, Minerva, my natural inclination is to destroy the brats totally but, well, in a way, I do sympathise with them. After all, the young often do wildly stupid things in the name of love." Unconsciously, Snape massaged his left forearm then snatched his hand away when he noticed he was attracting undue attention. He cleared his throat and glared at the two miscreants impartially. "Filch is quite willing to supervise their detention for the rest of their lives, if need be. I suggest they are allowed to return next year but only under advisement. They will not be allowed privileges, neither will be allowed to hold prefect positions and neither will be allowed out of the school grounds. Both will be held to a certain standard of learning that they must reach or they will be penalized even further. Every moment of their time will be strictly supervised but as the year goes on, they will be able to earn some privileges back."

"Do you think that would be wise?" Wanson senior asked grimly.

"There is no point in punishing if there is no reason to do better," Albus put in with a rueful smile. "I think Severus has summed up the majority of the situation for us all. As the most injured party, he is willing to give the boys a further chance to prove that the behaviour was aberrant, not a trend that is likely to hold sway from now on. I will also undertake to have documentation outlining the conditions and prohibitions for both boys drawn up and signed. Because of the seriousness of the act, there will have to be Ministry involvement, but Severus has chosen not to press charges and I don't think you will be pressing charges, will you, Hyronimon?"

Hyronimon Wanson looked distinctly disgruntled but nodded sharply as he glared at the two couples opposite. "I have been instructed not to press further by my Head of Family. However, I am also informed that I can insist on a contract signed in blood and I intend to! My personal opinion is that those two wild animals should be expelled with all haste and sent to Azkaban for their crimes."

Hyronimon Wanson continued to bluster for some time before the contract was drawn up and the two boys signed in their blood, much to the Abernathys' distress and the Hudsons' horror. Minerva supervised the taking of the blood and was careful to explain the terms and conditions to the Muggles as well as the boys. Severus closed his eyes and rested, the long period of sitting up making him realise that he had been a lot worse off than he liked to admit. His eyes were still closed when someone cleared his throat close at hand.

"Yes?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"Are you alright, Sir?" Graham Wanson asked quietly, eyeing his head of house uneasily. "I – you were – very still."

Severus snorted. "No, I've not popped my cogs yet, no such luck," he muttered, a wry twisting of his lips making the boy cringe. "How is the leg holding up?"

"Good, Sir. Professor Lupin and Madam Pomfrey were fantastic. I – I thought my leg was going to come off, but Professor Lupin just shook his head and started casting like there was no tomorrow. Madam Pomfrey says it was only his skill that kept us both in one piece."

"True. Professor Lupin had a lot of practice in battlefield charms and spells in the war and he has not lost his skill. He's pretty good at nullifying _Cruciatus_ too, provided he could get to the victim fast enough."

"Wow."

The soft breath of amazement suddenly reminded Severus of where he was and who he was talking to and he struggled to sit up straight again. Albus was watching him in concern as he blinked himself awake and shook his head. "No matter. You will be fine in a few days as will we all. Oh and Wanson… stretch that stick up a couple of inches, it is too short for your height and will cause back pain."

The boy grinned. "Yes, Sir!"

Severus sighed as he blinked back into the present and finally decided he really had to get up and get showered for the day. School was finishing for another year, at last! Remus was making plans to take them all to Brighton for a holiday, and the twins were determined to see the sea at all costs. Severus knew that and had used this unexpected two week holiday to his best advantage. If his little machinations in the Ministry went ahead as planned and his co-conspirators pulled off the coups they had been working on, then it would be either the Canary Islands or the Mediterranean the twins were swimming in these holidays. There were other things that had to be taken care of too. If nothing else this last two weeks had proved he was all too mortal and Remus needed to be provided for and protected, not like when Black left him high and dry, not even mentioning they had been married!

Certainly, Black had left Remus with money and property but in such a way that the Ministry had been able to force him to give it away at the first hint of trouble. Severus was determined that, if anything happened to him or if the newly gained status of werewolves deteriorated once again, Remus would be cared for and his rights protected for the rest of his life. Rubbing his hands together happily, Severus wandered into the bathroom for a shower.


	23. Summer Holidays

Chapter 22 - Summer Holidays Chapter 22 - _Summer Holidays_

Their bags were packed and already shrunk, Remus having transfigured some of Severus' older clothes into something approximating summer attire. Angelinus had insisted on packing a collection of dolls, cars and books rather than clothing, which necessitated Severus procuring another trunk. The day before had been spent in making sure Angelinus had no further trace of the _Direstium_ in her system, that every single spark had been banished forever. As a precaution, both Severus and Madam Pomfrey had decided they should have another dose of the mixture, just in case. Of course, Linus had come out to protest the use of torture against them but the adults had insisted and the child had eventually swallowed the foul tasting medicine despite the protests. Severus had also come under rigorous scrutiny, his newly healed wounds tested and retested until Madam Pomfrey was satisfied he was as good as new. Her cautions ringing in their ears, the two patients escaped the Medi-witch's clutches as fast as they could!

Still, they were ready to leave as soon as they had finished breakfast on the first day of the summer holidays. They planned to Apparate down to Diagon Alley first; stopping at Gringotts for some cash then go on to Brighton Beach for two weeks. Or at least, that's what Remus understood, but Severus had been very vague about the arrangements. Sometimes Remus worried that Severus was still feeling the after-effects of the curse he had suffered only two weeks before but mention of a weakness only seemed to irritate Sev, which was never a good idea. Remus had even suggested they travel to London on the Hogwarts Express, but the reaction that brought forth guaranteed he would not suggest it again!

Diagon Alley on the first day of the summer holidays was hell on wheels; children careening out of control, parents pushing and gossiping through the walkways, noise and confusion everywhere. Overstocked shops spilled their goods onto the pavement in untidy heaps to tempt the buyer and block the footpaths even more. Angelinus was nearly swept off her feet by an old Beldam in dusty green robes that didn't even bother to stop and see if the little girl was hurt. Angrily, Severus picked the child up and held her high in his arms as Remus moved slightly in front of them to stop people pushing too close. Glaring impartially over his smaller mate's head, Severus effectively warded off the crowds by force of will alone.

"This was not a good idea," Remus commented loudly over his shoulder as they forged passage toward the façade of Gringotts bank.

"I think tomorrow will be worse, it usually is," Severus replied as they pushed through the doors into the relative quiet of the old established institution. "Phew! Insanity! I now remember why I never do this sort of thing as a rule."

Angelinus buried her face in her uncle's robes then carefully peered around a fold of cloth, her eyes as wide as saucers as she studied the large bustling crowd, the goblins particularly fascinating her.

The goblin on the desk nodded to them, a second goblin hurrying to answer his summons. In seconds they were escorted to the roller-coaster ride that led down to the vaults. Remus had only once been into the upper reaches of the bank when he used his family vault and Angelinus had no idea of what to expect as they climbed into the small carriage and hung onto the handles at the sides of the gondola. Snape made a point of sitting the child in his lap as he knew exactly what to expect and he wasn't disappointed when she screamed all the way down the first drop-off. Even Remus let out a small howl of fright, which made the goblin jump and Severus snigger.

After what seemed like forever later, the carriage came to a rest deep in the bowels of the bank outside a formidable door covered in bas-relief bats and snakes. Severus stepped out and handed Remus out before the goblin placed his key in the lock. Reaching into the recesses of his robes, Severus found his own key and placed it in the upper slot, both turning at once. There was the impression of a flight of wings rushing past as the bat carvings sank into the door and the large structure swung aside revealing a short, torch lit corridor with six doors leading off. A seventh door facing the entrance was plain and silvery with two hand prints carved into it at shoulder height. Putting Angelinus down, Severus glided forward and placed his hands into the recesses then stiffened as the inherent magic took over. The silvery surface became a mirror and his reflection looked back at him. Even as they watched the reflection became animate and smirked, a nasty sneer twisting its lips.

"So, still a disappointment to your family then, Severus Ibrim Snape. You still have a reflection to mock your birth right and heritage?"

"I am still human, yes," Severus agreed in measured tones, knowing better than to grow angry at the mockery.

"Human!" the reflection spat. "You betray the proud heritage, a bloodline whose patriarch showed Vlad the Impaler the way to immortality, and _you_ glory in you _humanity_. You short-sighted fool! Take what you can but you will never have it all!" The door blasted him away, tearing his hands free of the recesses.

Remus caught his reeling frame and the goblin produced a basin of water for him to wash the blood off his hands. Angelinus glared at the door but hung very close to her uncle's legs as Severus dried his hands and resettled his robes on his shoulders. "One of the less comfortable family duties," Severus remarked softly as they turned away from the treacherous door. "The demon needs to be fed every time I come down here, so I don't come often. It's an excellent way to stop the heir to the Earldom becoming a spendthrift."

"Every ounce of gold paid for in fresh blood?" Remus commented.

"Exactly. Until one of the heirs shows up and does not cast a reflection, it survives. Then the true Nosveratu will be allowed into the deep recesses of the vault where the family mysteries are stored. I think my great uncle tried to get in using an invisibility cloak to hide his reflection. That's what is left of him on the wall there."

There was a dark brown smear with a vaguely blurred outline of a face at one end. "How charming." Remus shivered.

"So, let us move on to more exciting things. These doors lead to the vaults belonging to the various branches of the family as you can see by the nameplates. Each family branch has their own key and that key only allows access to their family vault. Only I have the master key as Head of Family. This is Angelinus' vault where her mother's legacy is stored for her. This is your key, Angelinus, and if you come down here on your own then this is the only door you will have access to, the rest will not exist for you." He handed the little girl a curly golden key, which fitted into a small golden ram horn lock.

There weren't much inside, a few galleons, a couple of pieces of jewellery and a lot of books. Angelinus examined the books, saw they were far too hard for her to understand and shrugged disinterestedly. Exchanging looks, Severus and Remus smiled. The book she had just dismissed was a very rare and valuable first edition, which would fetch even more if the time came to sell it.

Moving down the line, Severus stopped in front of a large door with more bats and a few snakes carved into it. "Your key to our vault," he commented and showed Remus a golden bat key that slid into the carving seamlessly. Pulling it from the lock, Severus handed it over to his astonished partner and pushed open the door into a space as large again as the whole of the family vault. "Take what you need out of our vault, it's ours alone, and our heirs of course. If you come down by yourself you will not need to pay in blood. That's just a personal touch from my great grandmother especially to me. Money is on that side, family papers are over there, and books and grimories are in those shelves, family jewellery in that set of cabinets. Humm, that reminds me." He strode over to the jewellery cabinet and opened a full-length door. Reaching into the interior, he pulled out a Chinese silk covered box of obvious antiquity. Opening the locks, he paused thoughtfully then took out a golden robe pin set with emerald and amber, which he passed to Remus. An amber pendant necklace was handed to Angelinus who squeaked in delight at the trinket. At a gesture from Severus she skipped into the cupboard and began to play with the many pieces of jewellery laid out in boxes. Remus made some noises in protest as the child draped a small fortune in large black pearls around her neck and shoulders but Severus merely shrugged. "Let her play, this stiff has been lying around for years and she can't hurt anything, it is all spelled for preservation and indestructibility." Another dip into the top shelves of the cabinet came up with two golden seal rings each set with moonstone and emeralds.

"This is exquisite," Remus remarked, holding the pin Severus had first given him up to study the engraved vines and flowers.

"I'm glad you like it. There is a whole raft of jewellery that is supposed to go to the Lady of the Family but I don't see you as a tiara sort of man." Severus smirked and Remus chuckled, blowing him a kiss. "Pin it on, it will suit you. Angelinus, give me your left hand please."

The little girl giggled and offered a hand dripping in diamond bracelets and ruby rings with a giggle. Severus laughed as he slipped off some of the baubles and slid the simple gold ring onto her longest finger. It snuggled down and shrank to fit her perfectly.

"There, now you are the Current Heir. Remus, left hand please."

Remus held out his left hand a little more reluctantly, his wedding band shining on his ring finger. Severus slid the new golden ring onto his longest finger too and watched in satisfaction as it too magically sized itself to a perfect fit. "There, a perfect fit and you are now marked as the Bonded Spouse. And as the Head of Family I officially accept you both as my personal and Familial heirs." There was a tingle of magic in the air and something deep in the bowels of the bank acknowledged the words as sealed and delivered.

"What did you just do?" Remus asked, twisting the ring and finding it was now stuck on his hand. "Severus!"

"Hush, it was time. I realised when I was injured last week that I had never made you both formally part of the Family, never given you the Keys and the Seals to make you indisputably the Heirs to all this trouble, if anything should happen to me. Now, no one can ever argue your claim, you have been Granted, Acknowledged and Sealed. Usually it's a bit more ceremonious, but this is equally binding, trust me. Enough! We need some money for our trip and to make some purchases." He selected a bag of coins and tossed it onto the carry tray the goblin seemed to produce from thin air.

They took the ride back up to floor level and Severus quickly signed some paperwork, adding Remus' name to his various accounts. Remus was astonished to find his very Wizard husband even knew about credit cards never mind had one, or a Muggle bank account either.

"What? How do you think I buy my extra potions ingredients? With Galleons?" Severus teased, slipping his money pouch into his robes pocket as they exited the bank and pushed through the crowds to the local apparation point. "So, ready for the holiday? We're Apparating to Dover first, then to Calais. I'll take Angelinus, you stay with us."

"Severus! I can't leave the country you _know_ that after the stink last time caused! I haven't even filled in the application for a permit," Remus exclaimed in annoyance.

"Don't let that trouble you, I have already done it for you," Severus said cheerfully as he Apparated away, leaving Remus no choice but to follow at a hurry.

The Apparition Exchange in Dover was in an older building, the constant popping of people on the move a rumble in the background. The Ministry official glanced up as Severus placed a folded parchment on his desk, and then almost saluted as he read the official document. In moments, his boss came out from the back office and ushered them into the privacy of his own comfortable space. Tea was served and pleasantries exchanged as documents were cut and charmed with official seals then passed to Remus, whose head was still spinning. At Severus' urging, he used his new official seal ring to imprint the parchment to make his accepting of his new passport completely legal.

Still bowing and scraping, the head of passport control ushered them out into the Apparition area and cleared them for Calais in seconds. Remus' eyes were as round as saucers, and he almost forgot to actually Apparate when the official counted him down. A prod from his mate galvanised him into action and he threw more power than was strictly necessary into his jump, stumbling as he appeared in the target area in France. The French wizard checked the date of return on the passport; made sure Remus would be out of France by full moon and stamped his visa without a second glance. Severus appeared at his elbow, Angelinus on his hip as he carefully guided the stunned werewolf out onto the concourse that surrounded the international Apparation port. They ate in the local restaurant district that had sprung up around the Apparation facility and browsed the souvenir shops for half an hour. Checking the time, Severus hurried them back to the exchange area and they Apparated out to Madrid and immediately to the Canary islands. Their last small hop was to Isla de Lobos, an almost deserted island in the chain off the coast of Fuerteventura that served as a wizarding resort.

His head reeling, Remus looked up at the palm trees outlined against the impossibly blue sky and white sandy beach only a matter of yards away from the front porch of the two-storey cottage Severus had hired for the holiday. It was a tropical paradise such as he had never seen before and so totally unexpected, he simply stared at his partner who was in the process of opening the door.

"Before you ask," Severus said gently, turning him by the shoulders and pointing him indoors, "some issues should be tackled head on and defeated Gryffindor style and others should be approached in the manner of a Slytherin."

"And how does a Slytherin get around the 'werewolves are animals' issue?" Remus asked, allowing himself to be guided into the cool, comfortable sitting room.

"Do you remember Terry Boot from Ravenclaw? Yes, well, he discovered something very interesting in the Archives where he has worked since the end of the war. Somehow, the magic of the Archives is directly attached to the content of the archives. He discovered an anomaly affecting magical creatures and… healed it. After that, the laws governing Magical creatures began to change, growing more logical and less emotional. That was when people started to act upon the conditions governing magical creatures. Someone decided to redefine werewolves in other areas of law, prod the law and test its veracity then apply that same logic to the licensing laws. _'If werewolves have to pay employment taxes in the same way as humans then surely Crups and Kneazles should pay tax too? Well, if a dog is exempt from tax and it has a registration tag the same as a werewolf then surely a werewolf doesn't need to pay tax? Oh, are you saying that legally a werewolf is human? Ah!_' Take a few unrelated areas of law and make the lawyers apply logic to those areas then take all those new points of law and apply them to the licensing laws and see what happens. When many diverse groups prod and test the laws in all different areas then a pattern begins to emerge, highlighting the inconsistencies we have allowed to proliferate in our courts. Finally, the overwhelming fact is that the law considers werewolves to be human in every aspect except this one and that makes this area discriminatory and therefore indefensible. Get yourself a good shark-like solicitor, preferably a newly graduated werewolf by the name of Miss Andrea Leger-Path – sound familiar? - and set her loose to cut her swathe then see how much slack you can cut from the path of destruction."

"Andy? I knew she had graduated wizarding Law but I didn't think she was practicing yet."

"That girl doesn't need any practice, she is a consummate professional." Severus smiled smugly.

"It must have cost you a fortune," Remus marvelled, still slightly stunned. He had never thought he would see a tropical island in real life and he was having a hard time assimilating it all.

"The fees were quite hefty but it was worth every Knut. Enough, let's drop our baggage and have a look around. Angelinus put on some cooler clothes or you are going to overheat, and leave your shoes on, no cut feet please," he called as the child emerged from the furthest reaches of the house.

The cottage was perfect, two floors with bedrooms on the top floor and living areas on the lower level. Angelinus chose a back room overlooking the beach, quickly spreading her toys and clothes through the shelves and cupboards. Remus and Severus took the back room overlooking the path that wound through the dunes to the road. There was food in the kitchen cupboards, kept fresh under charms and linen in the cupboards, the beds made and towels aired ready for use. Before Remus' head could stop spinning, Angelinus was pestering them to go to the beach and Severus was urging him onto get changed and take her swimming in the warm, tropical waters that lays so blue and inviting almost at their front door.


	24. The Spying Game

**Author's Note: **

Hi, just a quick hello to Old Friends who have been reading my stuff for a while. Thank you for so much support for so long, hey guys!

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As I may have mentioned more times than anyone wants to remember, reviews are the food of the author. It's what keeps us plugging away at our typewriters, with candles guttering in the sconces and the howling wind blowing though the cracks of our poor hovels as we slave away, trying to eek out a living as… did you hear that? That tiny little fiddle? Must be playing just for me! LOL

Seriously, its true, reviews make my little world go around and I really do enjoy hearing from you. So, on with the chapter…. Love and kisses Les, the dramaqueen!

**oo0oo**

Chapter 23_ - The Spying Game_

Remus paused in his assembling of sandwiches to stare out of the kitchen window. He grinned at the scene before him, smothering a giggle in his throat. Severus was sprawled on his back, a sunscreen spell, pair of swimming trunks and a pair of dark glasses his only clothing. Angelinus was creeping up on him with a bright red pail of cool ocean water, mischief written large on her face. Remus knew very well that Severus was equally aware of her, as the child never realised her panting and suppressed giggles were very audible, but she never grew tired of trying to ambush them in her absurd plots.

As she made to tip out the water, Severus sat up with a 'boo' making her squeal and jump, the water soaking them both. Angelinus tossed the bucket and bolted, Severus springing after her to scoop her up and run into the water with her over his shoulder, saturating them both.

What a difference a week made! Remus sighed, leaning on his elbow with a happy smile. He grinned when he remembered Severus' reluctance to shed his robes, the idiot trying to sit on the beach in full clothes, then a Muggle shirt and slacks then finally he gave up and pulled on the board shorts Remus had transfigured for him. Oh, they were black, no colours for Severus Snape! But they exposed a lot of his skinny carcass to the sun, and he was turning a nice, healthy golden brown. The sunglasses Sandy had given him had become a permanent feature on his face, as was the large Panama hat Remus had bought for him on the second morning when his rather magnificent nose turned bright red.

They had a routine now, of sorts. Early rise and family swim. Stroll down to the local village and buy breakfast and eat in the shade of the palms outside Cafe del Lobos while it was cool and pleasant under the umbrella-covered tables on the patio. The witches who ran it were very good cooks and made exquisite croissants, light and fluffy. They also did a full English breakfast for those who couldn't adapt to the continental way.

After the meal they would take in an attraction, one of the many the islands had to offer, or take a trip to another island in the chain to visit a sight or a monument. If they chose to come home, then Remus would make sandwiches or a salad for lunch and they would laze away the day, sunning or surfing or sailing in the little skiff they had hired to play with. Severus always cooked dinner if they ate at home, approaching it as he approached the art of potions brewing. He was a good cook it turned out, much better than Remus who could successfully burn water if he put his mind to it.

Once Angelinus was bathed and put to bed they would go down to the water and swim once again in the cool of the evening, never too far from the cottage that they couldn't hear the intercom spell on Angelinus' room, but far enough away that they could indulge themselves in love-making and adult pastimes unsuitable for family enjoyment. Severus had even stopped complaining about sand in peculiar places and come to appreciate making love by the moon's pale light while the sea lapped gently at their feet. Merlin, what a wonderful, perfect, fantastic holiday come honeymoon it had been!

He couldn't remember ever being so happy, not even when his whole pack had been at Hogwarts. The kids of his pack had been his life for years, the family he would never have, then suddenly, in the first half of Paul and Charlie's fifth year, disaster had struck. Paul - small, kind, inoffensive Paul - had been torn away, hit by a Muggle car of all things. His parents had taken him out during the Christmas break and a truck had skidded on the snow, killing the whole family in a few seconds. It had shattered Remus; only Severus' constant attention and unswerving support got him through those horrific days. Andy and Michael had come back to Hogwarts even though they had graduated. The pack had mourned long and loud for the loss of their cub. But life did go on, painfully, perhaps, but still. Andy and Michael had gone back to their universities. It had shattered Charlie, too; oh, he had completed his OWLs, but not returned for his NEWTs, preferring just to go home and become a farmer like his forefathers.

Time had blunted the sadness but it was never forgotten entirely. Losing Paul had been almost like losing one of his own children, but they had survived and in a way, it had brought Severus and him closer, close enough to pave the way for the current, most desired situation. Remus sighed and pushed the heaviness of the past out of his mind as best he could. This was holiday time and Remus was allowed to appreciate it, every single moment!

Laughing as uncle and niece emerged from the water dripping wet, Remus carefully transferred the stack of sandwiches into a sand-proof container and was about to pick up the jug of fruit juice when a tiny movement caught his eye off in the sand hills to his left where the bay began to curve. Always a predator, the wolf quivered alert as his remarkable eyesight brought the shape of a man into focus, a man pointing something heavy and dark coloured at his family. The wolf growled low in its throat, and Remus didn't hesitate as he Apparated to land both feet on the man's back, slamming him face-first into the sand dune.

Severus caught the sound of Apparition and the yelp of a strange voice as he carried Angelinus from the water. A quick survey of the territory pinpointed the place of disturbance and he glared. His wand instantly appeared in his hand as he slung the small child under his arm and Disapparated even as he ran toward the struggling mass in the dunes. Arriving mid-stride, he allowed his momentum to bring him to the side and jabbed his wand firmly into the stranger's neck without missing a beat. Angelinus slid out from under his hold and stepped back hurriedly as Remus straightened away, releasing the man's throat.

"Up. Slowly," Snape commanded, allowing the slight, dark skinned man to climb creakily to his knees. "That's far enough. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Carlos de Santo, reporter for the Madrid Clarion, and I'm here to do a story on Britain's Premier Gentleman Spy, and family of course," the man rattled out hurriedly, a hand moving toward his light robes.

Severus paralysed it. "I did not ask you to move. Remus, check out his gadget and see what it is."

"Looks like a camera. He was pointing it at you when I saw him."

"It is a camera," de Santo protested as Remus peered through the viewfinder.

"Yes, with a telescopic charm on the lens. We should have put up more wards." Remus sighed deeply as he lowered the device.

"I was assured that the security on the place was top notch and we would not have to worry so I only put out mid range wards," Severus mused, confirming something Remus had thought. No wonder he had been so relaxed this past week.

"Now what do we do?" Remus asked, wrapping an arm around Angelinus who was shivering a little but not at all daunted by the melodrama being played out before her.

"I think we need some chemical assistance," Severus mused, an evil smile twisting his face as he peered down his nose at the shorter man. "_Mobilicorpus!"_

oo0oo

Remus took Angelinus into the kitchen and sat her down at the table with a sandwich and a drink while Severus installed their captive in the parlour, firmly attached to a straight-backed chair with stick-it spells. A long, black robe came floating downstairs and followed Severus into the parlour, Remus imagining it snuggling around his mate's long lean form as he prepared their catch for questioning. Severus could be a cruel and malicious man when he wanted to be, using sarcasm and a twisted sense of humour to get what he wanted. When he wanted information from someone he saw as an enemy, he was extremely focused, no personalities involved. He was also very efficient and went about seeking information in a businesslike way, which was quite terrifying to watch. He used torture; terror and intimidation the way a surgeon used a scalpel and forceps, no emotion, no waste of movement.

Angelinus looked a little upset when a low, pitiful moan sounded from the parlour, but she didn't say anything, instead eating her sandwich from the inside out as usual. Remus didn't say anything about her deconstruction of the food, allowing that it was not the time for--

The sound/word '_hraulss'_ suddenly echoed through his head bringing back instant visions of the war, and Remus did not stop to think. He flung an arm around the little girl and Disapparated instantly, picking a destination at random. He Disapparated three more times, each randomly, just in case a tracking charm was seeking him out. The code word meant nothing in English or even in human, but in wolf it was the equivalent of a life order to protect the pack. He had taught it to his friend many years before and had assumed Severus would have forgotten it. Severus would never have said or broadcast the code word unless it was direly necessary.

Angelinus clung to him with arms and legs, her face buried in his chest as she whimpered a little. She didn't understand what was going on and was plainly terrified. Taking a moment to sooth her, Remus made a decision and very gently lulled her mind to sleep with a lullaby and sweet dreams charm. They didn't use such devices very often so she had absolutely no resistance and smiled a little in her enchanted sleep. Sighing, Remus decided he had to stash her away safely and had the perfect spot, the only spot he could come up with in an instant.

Liz and Gail Albright had been running the Cafe del Lobos for four years. They'd seen wizards come and seen wizards go and knew who was who in the community. When Remus Lupin Apparated into the rear yard of the Cafe and peered around the door, the limp child in his arms, Liz simply closed the kitchen door for privacy and pointed to the back stairs. She followed him up and indicated he was to lay the child on the white coverlet of the spare bed.

"Trouble?" she asked softly, meeting the lambent amber gaze without fear or favour.

"Probably."

She sighed and rolled down her collar exposing the back of her neck. A faint blue design appeared as soon as Remus put his finger onto the top knuckle of her spine. "French underground," she murmured. "We were warned you would be in the vicinity and to give you both any support you might need."

"Support? I don't understand…"

The woman sighed again. "There are certain persons in our world around which the fates dance wildly. More than ten years ago, you and your partner were deeply involved in the saving of our world, not the main protagonists, certainly, but very much in the thick of it. Then, five or six years ago, you and your partner were in the thick of the British Werewolf Evolution, again, not the protagonists but certainly in the centre of the drama. Our governmental Seers have named you two as catalysts, people who trigger events, who precipitate a crisis when necessary."

Remus opened his mouth to protest but then closed it and shrugged slightly. "Sorry," he offered lamely as the woman smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Not your fault, just the games Fate plays with us all. Still, we were told to keep an eye out for you both and, if the Lady rolled your dice again, to give you any support you needed as the crisis you were precipitating was probably something that badly needed to come to a head and be reconciled."

"And this is the order of your government?" Remus asked in astonishment. It seemed too far sighted and progressive to be a governmental directive.

"Oh, not all governments are still living in the Middle Ages like the British Ministry," Liz laughed, making sure the little girl was snugly tucked into the small bed. "We learned long ago that the Seers, the real Seers, were best not to be thwarted when they made a prediction. Our country stopped trying to defy fate but to work with it and suddenly we were prospering so it seemed like a good thing to do as the Seers said, when they said so. It was not an easy philosophy for a government to adopt but we have found it paid off in the long run."

There was a lot of smugness in her tone which would have set Remus' teeth on edge, had he had the luxury of relaxing but as it was, he was focussing his mind for the task of rescuing Severus and didn't have time to enter a philosophical debate Liz at this time. "I - thanks." He nodded once, giving her a stern look. "Can you keep her safe? I have to go fetch Severus."

"No problem, put up your own wards and charms inside ours. Good luck." She disappeared back down the stairs leaving him to it.


	25. Hints and Stirrings

Chapter 24_ – Hints and Stirrings_

Leaving Angelinus secured and safe in her charmed sleep, Remus took stock of his resources, a pair of board shorts, a pair of sandals, a pair of sunglasses still stuck to the top of his head, and his wand. _'So well equipped for a rescue,'_ he mocked himself silently and Apparated back to the public road leading to the cottage's private access. Easing away from the trodden path, Remus thought carefully then cast a very old but very familiar charm over himself. The chameleon spell did not make the wearer invisible but it did allow them to blend with the background. If used properly it was even more effective than a 'no-see-me'.

Gliding off through the sand-hills, Remus worked his way downwind of the cottage and anyone else that might be there. His superb nose, hearing and eyesight gave him a distinct advantage over any other wizard in the neighbourhood, and he used all three enhanced senses to the utmost as he located the first of the intruders by scent. He was ensconced in a fold in the sand, commanding a good view of the cottage's rear and side windows as well as a stretch of the private beach. Remus drifted to a position slightly above and behind him and picked up a small rock tossing it lightly off to the left and in front. A wave of the hand and the lookout thought he saw movement, craning his head up to get a better look. Dropping onto his back, Remus clubbed him insensible and only just stopped himself from breaking his neck as a permanent solution. This was not war, although he wasn't entirely sure what is was, and making corpses was probably not a good idea at this point. A quick pat down brought to light a grubby, empty wallet, a wand of some sort of hawthorn, which broke satisfyingly over Remus' knee and a Muggle device for contacting people, a radio.

Cursing silently, Remus carefully filled the device with sand and hoped he remembered correctly. He knew water would have been better but he didn't want to use magic if he could help it. If it were he setting up this ambush, he would have put out wards to detect any use of hostile magic in the area. Taking stock, Remus scented the breeze again and found another faint trace coming from further around the bay where logically another lookout could watch the other side of the cottage. A third trace came from the seaward side and even as Remus watched a guard moved into view on the beach itself, eyes turned to the sea.

Narrowing his eyes for better acuity, Remus watched the guard patrol then turned to look at the back windows of the cottage. There was no movement but even from here he could feel Severus in there, feel the odd spark of intensity in his chest. Merlin, this was so like old times, it wasn't funny, but it did get the adrenalin popping, Remus acknowledged ruefully as he slid over the dunes on his way to take out the second guard.

This one was more nervous and wary than the first, his head moving, and his eyes never still. Remus lay concealed behind a straggly bush and observed him for a few moments, not liking the strange weapon slung over his shoulder. Remus was no expert but the contraption looked like a Muggle rifle, one of the ones that shot out lots of bits of lead very fast. He had occasionally come up against one when he had been a security guard in Muggle London quite some years ago. Questing for a spell, Remus blinked when he realised the idiot was a Muggle, but he didn't lose his caution. He was not as contemptuous of Muggle thugs as many of his counterparts, and knew just how dangerous and indeed inventive Muggles could be when it came to this sort of situation. A row of thorn bushes gave Remus an idea and he carefully picked up one of the spiky seedpods that had dropped onto the sand. By using a tiny trickle of magic, he animated the pod and set it off in the Muggle's direction. By tiny finger flicks, he had the pod work its way up the man's leg and under his t-shirt. The man jumped and scratched at the spiky thing, making the radio at his side crackle a query.

"Nah, nothing, just laid on a bloody burr that's all, out!" he muttered into the handset then spent a few seconds picking the burr out of his shirt. They were his last few seconds of consciousness, Remus' chokehold on his throat and Remus' bared teeth in his face were his last sensations for quite some hours.

The third man wandered along the edge of the water where the sea lapped the sand. He turned at the end of their tiny cove and propped a foot on a rock while he seemed to imitate a dragon for a couple of seconds. Remus settled to wait with all the patience of a predator stalking his prey while the man ignored his duty to cater to his addiction. After a few more moments, the man tossed his cigarette butt into the water and turned to wander back toward the opposite side of the cove where Remus lurked in the sand dunes. He waited, although he was almost driven to nail chewing while the stupid guard idled his way to the end of his beat and turned with a sloppy glance at his surroundings before began to dig in his pocket. Remus could wait no longer as the man pulled a radio from the tight olive green jeans. He leaped out of his cover and landed on the guard's back using his knee to drive the unsuspecting man's face into the hard-packed dry sand. Before Remus could stop himself, he grabbed the man's chin from behind and ripped his head around. The sickening crack of breaking vertebrae satisfied the wolf but made Remus shiver as the man shuddered and twitched into stillness. Cursing his inner wolf silently, Remus clenched his teeth but didn't have time to worry about the guard's death; he could feel Severus' pain as if it was his own and it was driving him insane.

Lookouts taken care of, Remus drifted down to the cottage wall and listened carefully. He could hear movement in the kitchen as well as movement in the parlour, making both rooms unsuitable for entry. Looking up, he smiled grimly when he saw the bedroom window was still open. Even in human form, Remus was a werewolf and made the jump easily, landing lightly on the windowsill with superb balance and little noise. Ghosting into the room, he glanced around sniffing and found nothing had been disturbed. Obviously the searchers hadn't been through the cottage very thoroughly. So far, so good.

Moving silently across the hall, he entered Angelinus' bedroom, which was directly above the kitchen and knelt on the floor. Taking his wand, he very slowly and carefully built a spell to cut a hole in the floor. He had hoped to cut through near the light fixture - which he did - but it constricted his field of view. Looking around vaguely, his eyes fell on one of Angelinus' toys, a cardboard periscope, and he grinned. The Muggle device was crude, primitive and non-magical, perfect in fact.

Pinpointing the lookout in the room below, Remus was slightly outraged that the thug was eating his sandwiches. By angling his wand just so, Remus cast a perfect _Stupefy_, the man slumping deeper into the chair without a sound. Baring his teeth in a feral grin, Remus moved back into their room, taking the useful little carnival souvenir with him.

His luck was not quite as brilliant this time, two men standing facing a third with Severus strung up by his thumbs between them. The reporter was off to their left, still tied to his chair and looking horror stricken as the man behind Severus threw another short, sharp right into his kidneys. Remus knew he couldn't take too much of that, having been badly injured in the war. They had obviously found that cutting Severus just made him more stubborn if the myriad of bleeding lines on his chest and belly were to be believed. It struck Remus that these boys were only using Muggle methods of interrogation and he quickly murmured _Acclaro_ with a magical detection suffix.

Both the reporter and Severus were wizards, but the three intruders were Muggles. They had potions with them, both wizards showing signs of _V__eritaserum_ although both slightly different. One of the men showed up traces of the _Imperio_ curse so they weren't completely in ignorance of magic, probably. Decision made, Remus moved off to the far corner of the room and dissolved a section of the ceiling away, leaving a hole big enough for him to slide through head first. Before he moved, Remus bared his teeth and cast a glamour charm over himself. Now he looked like a wolf as well as felt like a wolf.

Sliding head first through the hole, Remus took his weight on his hands on top of the solid wooden cabinet against the wall. He ended up crouched on the narrow shelf while he surveyed the situation silently then flowed down behind a wing-backed chair. Moving as silently as his wolf counterpart, he waited in ambush until he had a clear shot at all three men, his spells firmly in mind. Silently apologising to Severus, he sent the first spell over his shoulder and took the man behind him in the head with a conjured bludger. The other two saw the ball fly past and yelped but it was too late, even as they turned the stockier of the two caught _Petrificus_ _Totalus_ in the chest and fell over backwards. The third screamed as a huge grey wolf flew at his chest, and turned into a narrow eyed, vicious human with his hands around his throat.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your head off?" Remus growled in his face.

"Because we need to ask him some questions," Severus muttered from above, his smoky voice penetrating Remus' killing rage and cooling it instantly.

"Oh Merlin, Sev, are you alright?"

Severus snorted, allowing the _Veritaserum_ in his system to do its work. "I'll be pissing blood for a week unless there is some fancy spell work done on my kidneys but apart from that, no real damage. Get me down now! I do not appreciate being left hanging around in the altogether while you are playing with your food!"

Remus swallowed a snort of slightly hysterical laugher as he obligingly finished the spells holding his bond mate up and caught him as he slumped limply. "Hold still; let me cast an analgesic charm. Where are your potions? Here, drink this. How big a dose of _Veritaserum_ did they give you?"

"Nothing outstanding, it was a poorly brewed batch of the old style anyway, far too heavy on the loqulia syrup and too light on the jackoman."

"Only you would dissect the poison as you drank it," Remus muttered, as he helped Severus into a chair. "What do you want done with this lot?"

"I don't think the one you hit with the bludger is good for anything and the petrified one can stay that way. So, that just leaves him. Give him a three drop dose of this," Severus handed Remus a vial and the werewolf made very sure his captive had maximum pain as he swallowed the dose. "What is your name?"

"John Maddox."

"Well, John Maddox, tell me exactly why you came after us, who hired you and why you want to know about Malfoy Industries, and any other matters you might feel are related."

The man swallowed hard but the truth serum was of Severus' own brewing and quite irresistible. "Two guys came to see the boss, they wanted us to come out here and find you two. They wanted to know what part you played in uncovering the cartel that was feeding the drugs into the British population. They wanted the recipe for the anti-_Direstium _drug so they could manufacture a nullifying potion and they wanted to know why Malfoy Industries was muscling in on the action; how much of a cut they were willing to settle for and how much they were willing to invest to get a share of the new distribution of wealth."

"Who are your employers?"

"I don't know. The men who came looked to be Mediterranean types but then they changed and looked like Scandinavians then they changed into Africans so no-one knew who they were."

"Accents?"

"They had English accents but the 'not posh' sort, but not Scottish."

"Who are your masters?"

"I don't know. We never see anyone; we just leave a message on a newsgroup and another newsgroup sends back a reply within twenty-four hours. It's all computers these days, no really honest work for a bunch of fives and not to mention the death of tailing skills. One tiny electronic bug and that's the end of that, it's all done by satellites. Waste of a perfectly good family tradition, if you ask me. I remember when I was a lad and me old dad used to…" The man called John Maddox began to ramble.

Remus looked at Severus, who shrugged with an air of faint embarrassment and sighed. "I can't seem to stop that happening as the damned stuff wears off. You never know what will set them off on their personal rant, but off they go, spilling their disgruntlement with the world as if they are owed an audience. I really must work on that. So, they use a newsgroup. John Maddox, what newsgroup?"

The man barely paused for breath as he rattled off the URL then continued to lament the loss of perfectly good thugging skills to random acts of electronics. If it hadn't been so serious, Remus would have been fascinated.

"What shall we do now, Sev? I knocked out two of the guys outside, killed the third, I'm afraid. Two of them were Muggles too, only one wizard and not a very powerful one at that. I broke his wand too, serves him right!"

Severus considered the reporter carefully before rising stiffly to his feet. "_Obliviate_ the lot of them and let's get out of here," he said, carefully keeping an eye on the reporter who made a half-hearted protest against the sentence. Both men had a fair idea that he had some sort of recording device about his person so even if they _obliviated_ him, he would still get his story. For a few moments, Severus considered finding and destroying the device but then he stopped. Perhaps it would work to their advantage for the events in the cottage to get out into the public eye. After all, the small coincidence that had poisoned his children seemed to be taking on a greater and more far reaching life than they had ever expected when they found their child had been accidentally targeted.

While Remus packed and miniaturised their belongings, Severus worked on the thugs, noting various observations into his personal remember-crystal before performing the _Obliviate_ spell on each man. Finally, he returned to the reporter's side and sat down opposite him, crossing his legs comfortably. "I'm still not sure of your motives, Mr de Santos, but I think I will take a chance on them being purely journalistic. I am going to say this to you and you are not going to remember this until the right time." Severus leaned forward and put his lips close to the journalist's ear, speaking in a low, almost silent manner that would not be picked up by even the most sensitive charm.

Once he had given all the information he planned to, he sat back and smiled at the reporter who shivered in fear. What he had just learned hit at the very roots of his soul, resurrecting ghosts of the SVW that had almost destroyed the British wizarding world and spread its infection to Europe and beyond. "Do you truly think it may come to that?" he asked fearfully.

"Oh yes, all too easily. I saw Tom Riddle's plans from his first ascension, when he was a reasonably sane and charismatic leader. What he said made a seductive sense, still does to a certain type of mind. Believe me, if he had not have gone mad in the interim, I have no doubt he would have won the war and we would all now be hip deep in Muggle blood and bombs. Magic is all very well but in comparison to these so-called inferior beasts, we are nothing, merely amateurs playing at being bad guys. It only takes a short flick through a Muggle encyclopaedia to verify that and try a history book for the really shocking stories of atrocities. Try the Second Muggle World War as a starting point and then go on to Korea, Viet Nam and Cambodia if you really want to kill sleep forever."

"Sev, are you ready? We have to get Angelinus, don't forget," Remus called from the hallway.

Rising, Severus pulled his robes around his thin frame and looked down at the reporter with a quizzical expression. "If you want to know about the Malfoy connection, just remember that his wife is a so-called 'Mudblood' and they have children too. _Obliviate_!"


	26. Getting Serious

Chapter 25 - _Getting Serious_

Liz Albright was waiting for them as they Apparated into the yard and hurried inside to see Angelinus. She smiled as the two men doted on the little girl but neither of them suggested waking her from her charmed sleep. Giving them a moment, she cleared her throat and held out a slip of paper. It was a series of government Apparition coordinates that would take them out of the country and back to England in the most unobtrusive way possible. Severus nodded his thanks as Remus gathered up Angelinus and took the direction straight from the paper where Severus pointed. When he Disapparated there was no sign of Severus, but he hadn't expected there to be. Instead, he Apparated to another destination, one chosen at random from the list, making his own route out of Spain and into Portugal then up to the Isle of Mann across to Southampton and finally to London. Half the Apparition points were old safe sites he remembered from the war briefings as he, like Severus, never trusted lightly in other peoples' information or arrangements.

He arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and nodded as Tom pointed upstairs very unobtrusively, always the good spy and undercover agent, even in peace time. He had known something was up when Snape arrived under a _Disillusionment_ spell and had taken his cue from there. He wasn't sure what was up but had participated in enough Order of the Phoenix operations to know when not to make a scene. Remus' arrival in equally discrete circumstances merely confirmed that something was afoot and that Severus hadn't actually succumbed to the rampant paranoia that often plagued him.

Severus was in a small room at the end of a corridor, one they had used before as a waypoint during missions, lying back wearily on the sofa. "Good, you made it. How is the child? Still sleeping? Good. The Floo is still connected and I have just finished speaking to Hermione. She has opened the way for a direct Floo connection and we can go straight away. The Manor is warded against everything up to and including dragon attack, and she has put it on an unobtrusive but complete alert, just in case... Hermione thinks her girl will be utterly delighted to have a visit from her best friend and Angelinus will be able to stay as long as we need her to, which solves a problem we usually don't have to consider."

"Alright, I see the necessity but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Remus agreed. "Angelinus' safety is of course, paramount. How are you holding up, Sev? You look drawn. They did torture you quite a lot in such a short time and not very scientifically, just brutally."

Waving him off irritably, Severus rose stiffly and tossed a handful of Floo powder into the fire. "Go," he commanded, stepping aside. As Remus stepped into the green flames and twirled away, he noticed Severus was slumping even further, holding onto the fireplace as he swayed drunkenly which was never a good sign. As soon as he stepped out of the fire, Remus thrust the child at the nearest pair of hands and poised to catch his mate as he arrived or jump back in and Floo back to rescue him.

To his credit, Severus made two steps out of the fireplace before his knees buckled and he almost broke his nose for the second time in his life. Fortunately, Remus was ready and caught him by the shoulders, halting Severus' stumbling progress against his chest. Gathering up his long length with surprising ease, Remus turned to Hermione who quickly pointed them to a chaise-longue in the family room where sunshine streamed through the glass wall and various family knickknacks gave it a homey atmosphere.

"Not an auspicious start to the visit," Hermione commented as her former teacher laid his husband down and began unpeeling his robe to reveal a narrow chest with many deep lacerations that still bled sluggishly, the scabs ripped off by his fall. "Oh boy, shades of SVW! How bad is it?" she asked, kneeling to help, glad her own children were not here to see their uncle hurt like this.

"I wouldn't get too enthusiastic with undoing those buttons, Hermione, they stripped him naked before getting to work and there was only time to shove a robe on for decency before we Apparated out," Remus commented dryly as the young woman went to work efficiently, always the good soldier even under these unexpected circumstances.

"I've seen naked men before," Hermione commented distractedly as she eased the fabric from one cut that had bled and dried, causing the flesh to pull painfully as she worked the cloth free. "Probably a good thing they stripped him, no shredded cloth or other debris in the wounds to cause infection. No one should Apparate when in this sort of state. We may have to get a Medi-wizard in, some of these look bad, especially the ones over his ribs. There's rib bone showing through in places."

"That's probably a good idea. The Muggle was laying into his kidneys too, and you know Poppy never managed to repair the right one so the invisible damage is probably worse than the superficial cuts."

"I cast _Vitalis Protegus_ before they started," Severus muttered, coming around slowly. He gifted his mate with an appreciative smile, then sat up with an indignant squawk, pulling his clothes back around him. "Are you mad, Remus? Go away, Miss Granger, this instant!"

Hermione grinned, a perfect Malfoy smirk, as her Potions professor blushed bright scarlet. "Relax, you have nothing special over any other man, I do assure you. Stop acting like an outraged old maid! Now, can you manage the stairs or should we _Mobilicorpus_ you? Katie dear," she called to the maid who had brought the warm water at her original call, "can you Floo the clinic and have them send a Medi-wizard to me? Tell them it's an emergency and bring plenty of healing charms for both cuts and bad bruising of internal organs. Alfons!" A house-elf popped in at her call looking quite incongruous in the Malfoy uniform Hermione had designed for her new elves when they first took over the Manor after Narcissa had devastated the house-elf population. "Please call Binky to take Angelinus to the nursery, set up a bed in Galadriel's room for her. Is she charmed? Fine. Find Galadriel before you let Binky break the charm on Angel, she will calm her friend down and they will enjoy their time together. Ah, Katie, what did the Medi-wizard say?"

"He'll be here in half a moment, Madame. He is just gathering his things."

oo0oo

Draco grinned when he saw the two older men installed on his sofa utterly surrounded and swamped by children. It was a welcome if still unexpected sight for Malfoy Manor to have so much young life brightening it up. After his own lonely and often terrifying childhood, it was unbelievably satisfying to see his own family bourgeoning and happy. Severus was propped in a corner, his legs on the seat and Angelinus curled up in his arms with Galadriel almost draped on top of her. No one, knowing the Potions Master's dark reputation would believe what they were seeing as he gently stroked the little girls' hairs and bent to murmur in their ears as they wriggled and giggled on his lap, turning to whisper in his ears at odd times. The rest of the children sat on the floor, the older ones draped over the back of the sofa as Remus sat on the cushions by Severus' legs and showed off the holiday snaps with a running commentary from Angelinus, and Severus even putting in odd comments. Even Hermione sat on cushions on the floor and leaned against Remus' legs looking at the photos and teasing the older men gently.

"Well, I wondered where everyone had gone," Draco commented, strolling into the room and bending to kiss Hermione on the lips. His children made teasing comments on their open display of affection, regarding getting a room, and he waved them away as he greeted his wife properly before turning his attention to guests and offspring. "Good to see you two again. Are you making an extended stay?"

"There has been an incident," Remus said delicately as Severus sketched a lazy salute.

One of Draco's eyebrows rose questioningly, but there were too many small ears listening for him to actually voice a comment.

"Daddy! Daddy! Angelinus is going to stay here for a while and sleep in my room! Uncles said she could and Mummy agreed!" Galadriel shrieked and threw herself at her father's knees, hugging him tight.

"Aren't you the lucky one then? Have you lots of plans for fun games and schemes?" Draco teased, hugging the little girl but casting an enquiring look at the two men. "You will have to tell me about the change of plans later."

"I've ordered dinner for six o'clock so you had best change, dear," Hermione warned.

It wasn't until all the children were safely ensconced in their beds after a hectic meal, full of laughter and chatter, that the four adults had a chance to discuss the incident. Severus outlined the areas of interrogation the thugs had tried to explore, adding to it the answers the reporter had given him. "They were very keen to find the Malfoy connection, to find out why you were muscling into the trade and how you planned to use the power. There was some mention of Nordstrom Pharmaceuticals but I thought the lovely Miss Nordstrom was fully occupied with her growing number of grandchildren," Severus mused, absently appropriating the last of the hazelnut bonbons. The Malfoy chef always ordered them when Severus was having dinner at the Manor, it was an unbreakable tradition.

"Miss Nordstrom?" Remus queried, shaking his head at his mate's greed as he tried to rescue a few of the sweets for the rest of the diners.

"Humm, yes, married about seven times and after the second or third it became more sensible just to leave her with her maiden name instead of trying to keep track with hyphens," Severus replied and slapped Remus' hands away from his stolen treasures.

Draco and Hermione hid their grins at the by-play before Draco considered the likelihood of a division of Malfoy Enterprises being involved in the international drug trade and what advantages there would be if they were.

"They might do well if they could get us actively participating in their little scheme. With the Malfoy wealth and, er, reputation, behind their plans they could go anywhere they needed to, including into the best drawing rooms and salons of the upper pure-blood Houses." Draco sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers, forcibly reminding Severus of his father, Lucius, in that moment. "We have been somewhat successful in infiltrating the layers of secrecy and deception surrounding the trade. I had our security forces followed up the Crabbe connection most carefully and discretely, but it petered out in the middle ranks of the local crime family, and no, I am not going to say who they are, it is not necessary. Following the connection down from the Muggle side was a little more productive. I made quite a lot of money buying into Logan Laboratories, a small subsidiary of the international conglomerate, which produces '_Sleep Tight'_ under license. Interesting set-up, they combine Muggle and wizarding knowledge in their facility and employ from both worlds without discrimination, most unusual," Draco mused, sipping his wine thoughtfully. "Remus, you were always one of the best, most intuitive researchers I ever met, able to put obscure facts together and draw conclusions from almost nothing. How are you with computers? Humm, that's a pity. Hermione, Honey, Sweetheart, Beautiful--"

Hermione grinned and blew him a kiss. "That's a lot of sweetening, how bad can it be?"

"You wanna turn the kids over to the Potters or the Weasleys and come to work with me? Show Remus how to use the computers and do a little librarian's 'break and enter'?"

"Do you mean on-line espionage?" Hermione cocked her head, her eyes sparkling.

Draco waggled his eyebrows and nodded slowly.

"Professor Lupin, how would you like to learn a whole new way of seeing information?" Hermione sent the werewolf a sparkling smile, excitement burning in her eyes, making her look younger than her own daughter.

"I would be delighted, Madame Malfoy," Remus accepted with a courtly bow.

"And what might I be doing while you are ensconced in the library?" Severus asked peevishly, his chest and back still paining him.

Draco smiled a purely calculating Slytherin smile. "Humm, I thought we might play Death Eaters Extraordinaire and spread a little terror in the name of Righteousness. I have a mind to do a tour of inspection at Logan Labs with my own 'Chemical Expert'."

Severus simply shook his head. "Dress-ups," he murmured sourly and Draco grinned.

oo0oo

Draco never dressed in black; he avoided dragon hide gloves when he could and never, ever carried a cane. He did everything he could think of to avoid looking like his father but today was different. Today he was going to play a part, the part his father had tried to make his own in earnest. Hermione had taken great delight in helping him dress, making sure he was totally arrayed in robes from the uncomfortable underpants out, no nice stretch jersey jockey briefs for him today. Under-robes of the finest cotton and inner robes of smooth, dark green silk were overlaid with outer robes of the finest black velvet, edged in black leather. There was also a cloak with a deep hood and a weighted hem to give it the correct swirl of authority.

Usually Draco wore his hair fairly short and parted on one side but today he had it slicked back, reminiscent of his second year style and charmed to look longer than it really was. He could never have stood the impressive platinum waterfall his father sported but for today it would be enough. Once the gloves and cane were in place, he stepped in front of the mirror and shuddered in distaste.

"You are not your father, Draco," Hermione reminded him softly, curling her arms around his waist from behind and kissing his ear as he turned in the circle of her arms.

"I do try not to be." He sighed.

"And you succeed admirably but today, my Love, you are to be the spoilt little pure-blood drama queen I knew and hated in fourth year."

"A Drama queen? _Moi_? Are you insulting me, woman?" Draco asked placing a palm over his heart in mock horror, his eyes teasing and bright.

She giggled and kissed his nose. "That's the one, but with less twinkle in the eyes. Let's go see if Severus is ready."

Severus was decidedly not ready; Severus was suffering a plague of little girls with amazing aplomb. Angelinus and Galadriel were climbing on the stool beside him, brushing his long black hair and plaiting bits of it here and there. Remus sat on the bed and laughed as Severus allowed them to plague him, even holding the ends of plaits when they demanded. Various ribbons and flowers, elastics and frilly scrunchies - which looked colourful and slightly surreal over his night black robes - adorned his ink black hair.

"What on earth…?" Hermione asked with a giggle as they entered the suite and stopped in surprise.

"We're helping Uncle Severus get ready," the girls chorused as Angelinus pinned a shimmery butterfly over his left ear.

"Isn't he pretty? Do you want a flower, Daddy?" Galadriel asked then widened her eyes. "You look silly!" She shrieked with laughter making Angelinus giggle too. "Look, Uncle Remus, Daddy has his dress-up clothes on, too."

Grinning at the couple, Remus rose and gathered the little girls up in his arms. "Come on, you two terrors, it's time to let Uncle Severus finish getting ready to go to London. He has to look very scary today so I don't think we can go with the pink and yellow scheme." The girls were just as happy to let the werewolf toss them over his shoulders and carry them away while Severus smirked at Draco, still crowned with his array of girlish adornments.

"You spoil those kids, Severus, you know that? You indulge them far too much." Hermione shook her head in mock severity and wandered across to see if she could extricate some of the elastics.

Waving her away, Severus ran both his hands though his hair, the odds and ends falling into a neat pile in his lap. Instead of loose and hiding his face, he left some of the plaits in, pulling his hair back to expose his profile in stark relief. Dressed in black as usual but of a much higher quality, with black silk embroidered edges and black leather inserts, he rose carefully and straightened his robe with a regal sneer, which dismissed Hermione's consideration with contempt. Reaching into the recesses of his outer robe, he extracted something then slid black framed Ray-Bans over his eyes. Hermione drew a deep breath as the man turned to stare at her and she squirmed as she wondered exactly where those black laser eyes were actually looking. With a patented Snape sneer, he dismissed her as an unimportant bug under his heel, turned away and picked up his cloak, swirling it over his shoulders and lifting the hood to cover his head and face completely.

"Ready, Draco?"

"Merlin, Severus, you do that so well?" Draco whistled admiringly.

"It's an art form," Severus told him solemnly, hidden laughter drifting out of the all-concealing cloak hood. "_Are_ you ready?"

They both bowed formally to Hermione before making their way to the Apparition point and Apparating out to Draco's London office. Their appointment at Logan Laboratories was not until eleven, which gave them time to go over the details Draco and his security forces had already collected and add them to the facts Severus and Remus had brought in. There wasn't much solid fact, no real pattern, or no obvious pattern that anyone could see yet, but then, finding patterns in odd bits of information was Remus' talent and forte.


	27. Getting Warmer

Chapter 26 - _Getting Warmer_

The buzz at Logan Laboratories was heavy and harsh, gossip and speculation echoing down the corridors and whispering in corners. If they had a water cooler it would have been the place of secrets and furtive meetings, but the coffee machine had to make do. Ever since the take-over a month before, they had been expecting bad things to happen. Today might be the day! The owner of Malfoy Industries - the new parent company – himself was pulling a snap inspection at eleven o'clock exactly, a surprise inspection, even. The Muggle employees had been caught up in take-overs before and knew there would be job cuts, new policies and strangers peering over their shoulders to spy on them. The wizarding contingent was even more apprehensive. They knew the Malfoy name, their reputation and exactly what the Family was capable of doing, and most of them didn't like it one little bit.

The lab was more of a research facility than a commercial chemical producer. Their main claim to fame was the Natural Magic cosmetics and vitamins line, which they had developed to give middle-aged men and women another shot at youth and beauty. It worked to a certain extent, actually rejuvenating tired old skin rather than chemically plumping it up, thanks to the '_secret ingredients'_ their top research chemists had pioneered. Some of the things they used were most unusual and quite disgusting when they first started developing the cosmetics. Butterfly wings were the least offensive, but ground shell of snail and grasshopper entrails? Sometimes it seemed as if they were working on witches' brews rather than high tech modern compounds but as soon as the product worked, they analysed it and broke it down for mass production. That was the lab's genius and why they had gained their reputation for excellence, their willingness to take chances on folk remedies, or so they said. Because it was a research facility, they tended not to go with the established methods but allowed their chemists a fairly free hand to pursue their lines of inquiry. Unfortunately, this did not make for neat, well-presented labs or people as genius tended to be eccentric.

Each chemist had his or her own space, basically a private lab, walled and windowed on three sides, and the fourth left open to the central space that housed the expensive items like a spectrograph and an electron microscope. While everyone agreed to keep the central area pristine, the private spaces tended to reflect the personality of the chemist who inhabited it. One or two were sterile to the point of paranoia, but most looked like full room cultures of spores and fungi in progress. Anything that might be useful in the pursuit of excellence found its way into the lab cubicles, but unfortunately some things took root.

Last time there had been any sort of official tour of the labs, the visiting dignitaries had been subjected to Peter Forsythe running around in his underpants and a pair of hip boots. No one was quite sure what he had concocted, but he promised never to do it again once he straightened up. That had been the worst of it, but the others were equally hard to swallow at one sitting. Consuela LeToya thought she was a witch, cauldron and broomstick type, whose cubicle had a very 'cottage in the woods' flavour. A couple of the guys swore that if she offered them gingerbread they were out of there! Hannah Thompson thought she was a witch, Wicca type, candles, herbs and spices featuring along with a crystal ball and some very odd pieces of distillation equipment to extract oils from various flowers and spices. She and Consuela often swapped ingredients and products, getting on surprisingly well.

Clive Marinson was a bipolar, brilliant but totally zoned sometimes. When he was on an up cycle, he worked for weeks at a time at a frantic pace, producing wild and fantastic ideas that bore very profitable fruit but when he was down they removed the sharps and provided tissues by the box. He could have been chemically controlled but he refused, saying the highs were worth the price of the lows and he was not dangerous to others so it was a fair trade. Lynda Smith and Julie Daffid were lab partners and life partners, two lesbians who had met in college and gone on from there, brilliant and not obviously crazy but still part of the zoo they called a lab team. They took the wild ideas and melded them into something approaching modern science, making more sense to the mass market than anything the flaky genii they worked with could say. Jayden Tang was obsessive compulsive whose lab technique was perfect in every detail, but he was an utter pain to work with. He broke down the products into processes, his finicky eye for detail making the transition from the lab to the production line smooth and easy.

The staff chemists were supported by an equally ill-assorted team of technicians, lab workers and administration staff, directed by a Doctor Vincent McIntyre that catered to their every whim. The director rarely asked what they were working on but was always ready to take the fruits of their labour and sell them to the highest bidder through a very well respected advertising and design team. And now the governing body of this mad house had changed hands, now they had new owners, and that always meant trouble. Even the executive staff was in a flap over this new lot. No matter how hard their best researchers had tried, they couldn't find any background on Malfoy Industries beyond the usual PR bumph, no personal recounts and no rancorous denouncements, not even a picture or a description of the owner beyond a recent change of hands when the son inherited his father's holdings. So, there was no way they could prepare a spin and that was a cause for extreme stress for everyone.

Tricia Hurley raced through the building, clipboard clutched to her chest as she despaired of ever getting the worst of the fruits and nuts corralled in their own labs. Today had to be the day Le Toya decided to grace them with her presence, and the barmy old bat had come in dressed as a witch straight out of Macbeth of course! Dear old Doctor McIntyre had looked a little horrified when Larry Scarsdale, the director, had told him to be in the main conference room at ten thirty to be briefed on the surprise visit. Ms Hurley was personal assistant to Mr Scarsdale and was responsible for greeting the inspection party and guiding them to the meeting. She was congratulating herself on having ten minutes in hand when her mobile went off and the text said they were here! Bastards! They were early!

Skidding to a stop just before the corner, Tricia tossed her clip board behind a potted palm, gave herself a few seconds to take deep breaths and patted her hair back into place before sailing around the corner with a serene expression and a professional smile. It faltered a little when, instead of discretely expensive suited businessmen, she was faced with two academically robed and slightly sinister figures that watched her approach with all the warmth of a predator tracking its prey.

"Good morning, gentlemen, my name is Tricia Hurley. Welcome to Logan Laboratories." She almost offered her hand but neither man made the gesture; instead, they both inclined their heads. Having dealt with the Japanese before, Tricia gave a bow with the proper level of respect from a junior to a senior. One of the blond's eyebrows rose and the dark guy smirked back, muttering something like, _'Manners from a Muggle, what next?'_ Almost she reacted to this studied rudeness, but she managed to hold onto her professionalism in the face of hostility. "Would you care to follow me, please?" She indicated the corridor and led the way, a shiver working down her back. These guys were creeping her out, and she didn't like them behind her.

The tap on the door cut Scarsdale off in mid-flow as Tricia announced their visitors were here and held the door open for them. Tricia knew there was no breeze in their perfectly air-conditioned offices, but she would have sworn that a wave of cold wind swept through the place as the two men entered. She slipped in after them and soundlessly closed the door.

Larry Scarsdale immediately came forward with his hand outstretched to greet the men, his usually bluff countenance turning pale as the blond man blinked before offering two fingers as if he didn't quite know what was expected of a handshake. The older, taller man seemed to radiate disapproval in waves as he totally ignored the hand, his lips twisted into a sneer.

Oddly enough, Doctor Vincent McIntyre suddenly seemed to relax in his seat, a faint smile curving his usually mildly befuddled expression. When Larry tried to cover up his _faux pax_ the old Chemist rose creakily to his feet and made a very formal bow, which the visitors returned impeccably.

"My Lord Malfoy, my Lord Snape, welcome to our facility," he greeted in low tones, keeping his head bent a little. "I am Vincent McIntyre of the Rochester McIntyres, not the Scottish branch."

The taller man slid his dark glasses off – which was not an improvement - and nodded once. "I believe we met in 1978 at the Wi-orld Conference on Potions? You delivered a paper on Bezoars, their uses and the fallacies associated with them."

"I did indeed." The old man smiled delightedly. "It is kind of you to remember that, not a terribly interesting paper for most people."

"On the contrary, I found the information most enlightening and the results of the fallacies both fascinating and very, very useful." There was a lot of fang in the smile Severus bestowed upon the old man who did his best to hide the shudder that raced down his back. "You are employed here? As a Potions Honorarium? How very interesting. This is a Muggle operation, is it not?"

"Er, not entirely, milord. I am the research director and as such, I have the discretion to take onboard whoever is deemed to have an idea we care to explore, Muggle or, er, Alternates. As I'm sure Lord Malfoy is aware, we pursue a line of research that incorporates elements of both worlds in an effort to find the best solutions to common problems. We produce both cosmetics and vitamin potions for mass production on license. It is a profitable arrangement for both our company and the companies making our product."

"Can the two worlds be combined successfully?" Draco asked in bored tones, glancing about the conference room seemingly idly but missing nothing in his survey.

"I believe so, milord. I can show you the results of the joint ventures down in our 'dungeon', if Larry does not object to a tour?"

"Larry will not object, or at least, not for long." Draco smiled coldly at the man who had discretely slipped into the background after his error with the handshake, allowing his Research Director to take over as he seemed familiar with these two and the manners and tone they expected.

Larry was a good administrator and knew when to back away from a situation and allow others to shine. Obviously, these two men were from a very different background to the common lot, royalty perhaps or something, and McIntyre was almost like a different person as he spoke to them, his posture and attitude amazingly respectful but not servile. How different from his usually vague, bumbling and good-natured joviality. The old man knew a lot more about these peculiar people and their ways than he did; if he could get them through this with their jobs in tact, then 'go Vincent!' "I wouldn't dream of it!" He smiled, rising quickly and gesturing carefully. "Would you care for coffee before we go or would afterward be better?"

"After," Severus said dismissively.

Draco stalked forward and sat himself down in the chair at the head of the table, arranging his robes comfortably, before leaning his crossed hands on the head of his cane and propping his chin up. "If you are off to the dungeons, Severus, then I shall stay here and listen to the dull reports these people are going to give me on the various workings of the company, shall I? I am sure they have some financial and production reports to share with me." The pensive pose was topped by a smile a shark would have been proud of.

Any relief Larry might have felt fled, and he cranked his professional smile back into place. "Of course, milord, all our department heads are waiting at your call."

"Perfect, and coffee would indeed be acceptable. Just bring the pot," he added as he pulled his gloves off in a businesslike way and settled in for the long haul.


	28. Enlisting Assistance

Chapter 27 – _Enlisting Assistance_

'The Dungeon' was like nothing Severus had ever seen before, certainly a misnomer despite what the sign on the door said. Long narrow tubes were fixed to the ceiling, which was decently low, but the light they gave off was incandescent and far too bright. Severus fumbled for his Ray-Bans and quickly slid them up his nose. Glaring around, he took in the lengths of silvery benches set with sinks and the oddly shaped boxes, computer screens and equipment he was totally unfamiliar with.

Vincent McIntyre watched from the corner of his eye as the younger man entered the strange territory like a cat, carefully, warily and on high alert. A long, thin hand reached out to fondle the bench top and he smiled. "Wonderful, isn't it? It is called Stainless Steel, a metal that literally doesn't rust or mark except in the direst of circumstances. It may discolour if over-heated, but it is guaranteed not to burn."

"Hmm, I thought it might be silver for a few moments, but it is not. You have convenient sink arrangements too, but why the wings on the spigots?"

"Elbow taps. With the high arch, you can fit even a number eight cauldron under them and whack the tap with your elbow to get instant water." The old man demonstrated proudly. "Not that many of us use cauldrons around here, we try to fit in with the Muggles, or at least some of us do. Besides, some of the glassware we have is far superior to metal cauldrons."

"Really? Show me."

The professional discussion of glass versus metal was interesting in itself for Severus, but was merely a means to an end. Vincent knew his field and was growing more expansive as he realised his audience was interested and asking some insightful questions. Grinning, he looked up and realised Severus had removed his dark glasses, but by then it was too late. As a _Legilimens_, Severus caught the older man's mind and slid in with absolutely no resistance. It was an orderly mind, as expected, almost guileless in its ways, but there was something lurking just at the bottom of the expansive bonhomie, a stray, guilty thought about--

Well, well, well, so jealousy was the curse under which Vincent laboured. He felt somewhat snubbed by the wizarding world and the College of Potions Makers for not granting him mastery when he applied. He had tried five times to gain his mastery and younger or more talented men had beaten him each time. Basically an honest person, he knew he had not made the standard necessary to be classed as a Master, but it still hurt.

Unfortunately, Severus knew all about those little hurts and slights and how they eventually mounted up to one very large step in the wrong direction. He continued the conversation, digging deeper into the man's mind, looking for hints and indications. Finally, a flash of fear rewarded him when he mentioned creating a great work. Latching onto the stray thought, he followed it to its source and nearly laughed aloud. Oh yes, Vincent had a great work that occupied a lot of his free time but had absolutely nothing to do with world domination. He was accumulating a glossary that translated all the Muggle chemical names into Potions names and vice versa, a complex undertaking that would be very useful when it was finished. Amused and indirectly impressed, Severus let Vincent's mind go free so gently he had no idea he had been scanned and read.

After a pleasant discussion on the merits of a scanning microscope versus a magnification charm, they retired to Vincent's private laboratory where two comfortable wingback chairs were pulled up near a fireplace. Tea duly made, they each took a seat and sipped quietly for a few moments before the older man put down his cup.

"So, Professor Snape, it has been a delightful visit but I must assume that you did not come here to play tourist through my labs. May I know the real purpose, or is it a secret?"

Snape sipped then flicked an eyebrow in his direction. "No, it's not secret but not entirely social, although quite enlightening. There has been some activity in the Muggle world that affects our world and I need to find out who is involved."

"It's not the old complaint, surely? No more Dark Marks and Evil Overlords taking over the world?" Although it was said tongue-in-cheek, the residual trace of the _Legilimens_ spell transmitted his sheer terror and horror at the idea to Severus very clearly.

"Indirectly, yes."

"Oh God… and you want me to…."

"No." Severus cut off the question before it was asked. "Despite constant and persistent rumours, I gave up Death Eating rather earlier in the game and simply spied on Tom Riddle during his second coming. Do you really think the Ministry would have let me live if this was not so?" He smirked as the answer was written plain on the man's round, open face. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I am not as black as rumour paints me, but if you breathe a hint of that to my students…"

"Oh no, of course not!" Vincent was quick to assure him before he realised the man had been subtly teasing him. "Yes, well, we all have reputations to uphold. So, what do you want from me?"

"I need co-operation. Someone is trying to destroy Muggle-born wizards and witches again. This time, however, they are going about it with a subtlety that is somewhat frightening. What do you know about _Direstium_?"

There was a definite spike of horror in the man's mind this time. He knew a lot about _Direstium_ and its affects and was appalled. "Merlin Forefend, that filthy stuff is poison to wizards. One taste and it eats its victims from the inside out. What do I know about it? It is a created poison, not a naturally occurring substance. It has a quasi-life that mimics living but is not even as alive as an amoeba. It lives off magic and it breeds in a magical field, but it must be contained within a living body, not raw magic. Once you have the poisoning, it is a slow and inevitable death. There is no known cure."

"I created one," Severus stated baldly. He almost smirked as the man's mouth dropped open. "Oh, it isn't exactly a secret; we have successfully treated addicts with the prototype version at St Mungo's, but it isn't exactly widely known either. Once the cure is perfected, it will be pretty much freely available in our world; but in the Muggle world, the damage is already being done."

"You created a cure for _Direstium_ poisoning that works? My God, that's brilliant! How did you go about it? Was it based on Ashwinder shell or did you go the gillyfoil route? Did you--"

Severus held up a hand. "Please, not until the patents are cleared, but for your information, neither. It is a mixture of charms, wand work and potions. My dear Vincent, while potions are the most subtle and versatile of the Arts, there is a small place for wand waving, sometimes - rarely, I grant you - but just sometimes," he admitted distastefully.

Vincent burst out laughing. "Yes, sometimes. So, granted the cure works and it is under control in our world, how is it affecting Muggles and Muggle-borns?"

"A potion called Sleep Tight came to my attention when it was administered to my child and it nearly killed her. The potion contained a very unhealthy dose of _Direstium_, hence the necessity of inventing a cure. Upon inquiry, I find this potion is a staple for Muggle mothers with fussy children, readily and cheaply available to all."

"Well, yes, of course. I think my daughter gave it to her children when they were small until I gave her some diluted _indolentia maxis_ potion which didn't upset their stomachs so badly."

"Your daughter is married to a Muggle or a Muggle-born? Yes. How old are the children? How is their magic?"

"The eldest boy is at Hogwarts, you probably know him, Julian Campbell in third year Hufflepuff. Yes, nice enough boy but not the brightest of the clan. My granddaughter Fiona will be at Hogwarts next year. Look out for her, she is very bright and I think she will make the family very proud. The others are too young to tell yet, but Flora did say Marner had managed to save himself a broken leg when he fell off his BMX last month so he may be coming into his magic."

"Check them when you see them, all the same. Now follow my reasoning. You are a Muggle mother and you have a fussy baby, you give it the potion, and it recovers. It grows up, goes to school, leaves school and takes a job, no problems with its life, all as it should be. Except that the magic in its soul was never manifest because _Direstium_ ate it before it _could be_ manifested, and there are no long-term detriments because the magic never manifested or took hold. You have a perfectly normal… Muggle."

Vincent whistled softly. "It's foolproof, fewer Muggle-borns, fewer half breeds. Eventually, you would have no more Muggle-borns and probably no more half breeds." He shook his head at the vastness of the scheme.

"Hmm, not a good prospect for Muggle-borns, but take it to the next logical step. How many pure-bred families are left after the last madness? How closely related are those families that are left? What do you know about er, 'genetics'? Good. My family has been practicing line breeding for centuries. My mother was my father's second cousin and my Grandfather was my grandmother's first cousin. Our family has been breeding the main line back to the cadet branches for three hundred years to conserve and strengthen certain traits. My own bride was supposed to be a Romanian cousin from my Mother's family to improve the cross. My family was trying to breed a perfect vampire without the infection."

"Can that be done?" Vincent asked curiously, discretely looking for signs and finding quite a number he had missed before.

Severus snorted. "I don't believe so. Oh, you can breed for appearance and physical type, but the actual defining factor of a vampire is the need to feed and that is only obtainable by a bite infection. Eccentricities aside, most of the pure-bloods practice selective breeding, even if it is only to select mates from their own social circle, which is a closed one. Hmm, so now we have to think a little deeper into the problem. Is it another scheme to purify the species or is it actually the genocide of a species? Kill off the rest of the pure-bloods by forced inbreeding?" Severus asked softly, a keen eye on the man across the hearth from him.

The older man turned grey and looked a lot older than his apparent years. "This is worse than You-Know-Who."

"No, it is just another refrain on the main theme. What we need from you is any information you may have on other potions makers who work for any of these companies. We have reasoned that it must be one of us who is making the brew as it is a wizarding potion and you need magic to make it successfully. We are tracking the wizarding side of the problem but we need assistance on the Muggle side. Draco Malfoy has tried to buy his way in and will continue to hand out the necessary money to grease the wheels; we just need to know which wheels to grease for a successful result. Can you assist, are you willing to assist?"

"I can and I am," Vincent said firmly, offering a hand on the bargain, which Severus accepted, both knowing the meaning of a bargain sealed with flesh.

oo0oo

Consuela leToya was a hundred and twelve years old and didn't look a day over sixty, her long grey hair plaited and coiled elaborately around her head. After a long life of working for Los Angeles la Gracia the renowned Spanish wizarding hospital, as part of their Potions division, she had retired to England but soon found retirement was very boring. For interest she had applied to the Logan Laboratories and amazingly had been interviewed by none other than Vincent McIntyre whom she knew through the Potion Forums and the Collegiate Association. He had granted her associate status within the company to 'investigate areas of interest'. This meant she could come and go as she pleased, pursue her own interests and generally terrorise the younger people in the labs around her.

Today she had chosen to wear robes to the lab instead of going through the charade of changing into one of her small stock of Muggle outfits. She paused in surprise when she saw Vincent's visitor dressed in very expensive robes from either Malkin's or LeBohanon of France. She also noticed that Vincent did not look well or even comfortable with his visitor who had his back to leToya. Having lived through three rather nasty attempted coups in wizarding England and two nasty dictatorships in Muggle Europe, she was very wary and attempted to listen in on the conversation. The visitor was obviously more skilled than Vincent for there was a silencing charm on the open side of the room, a very powerful and complicated one. Deciding to play dotty old bat, she pulled out an amiable grin and called "Yoo-hoo Vincent! Are you busy?"

Both men rose and turned as she ambled in on them with an inane giggle on her lips, and she dropped the act as she recognised the visitor. "Well, well, Severus Snape! So you did grow up after all. I really thought that wretched father and grandmother would have managed to kill you as they did Silvana."

"Great Aunt Consuela." Severus bowed carefully, keeping a watchful eye on his great aunt from his mother's side. He had never been in contact with his mother's relatives, any more than he contacted his father's, but he knew most of them by sight, enough to avoid them in ordinary circumstances. "How are you these days? Still working?"

"It keeps me from hexing the neighbours. Still working for that old goat Dumbledore? You should have left there years ago and taken up the deputyship of the Potions College when you were offered it. Can't accuse you of too much ambition, can they?"

"And I see you still have the famous leToya _forthrightness_," Severus remarked dryly while Vincent blushed at their spatting. They glared at each other for a few long seconds, each trying to penetrate the other's shields without success. "Hmm, shall we call a draw and attempt to be civil to each other?"

The old woman pursed her lips then nodded once. "So what brings you out of your Scottish fortress?"

He considered for a moment then told her the whole story as he had told Vincent, waiting for her reaction. It was not exactly what he had expected. "I wondered if anyone would ever make the connection. I think you are looking for a Muggle group, not a wizarding group. We magicals tend to approach a problem with the attitude that nothing is unchangeable if you hit it with enough spells. Muggles approach a problem with the attitude that it is solvable if you can find the key. The approach this group takes is of logical solving not magical changing."

"Yes, that was one of the avenues we considered too. Muggles tend to deal in genetics and genocide more easily than magicals. Any ideas on which group of Muggles might be at the root of it?"

"Well, there you have me, could be any one of the nutter groups or the religious denouncers groups or the 'one group of humanity first'-ers. They are all out there. Did you try and find a signature on the potion?"

"Naturally," Severus bridled in offence. "There was no signature that I could detect."

"Unnatural. Everyone leaves a signature unless they are very careful. Vincent? Didn't Gilbert Nelson take a job at Brimmers? Maybe he has heard something around the lines. You might want to contact him and sound him out. Then there is Sally Silverthorn who went to work for Batter or Bayder or something. Let me give her a call and see what I can find out. Have you got a phone number or shall I Floo you?"

"Floo Malfoy Manor and leave a message or talk to Hermione or Draco. However, be careful who you speak to of this, we would rather catch them than alert them in time for them to hide their activities."

"Do I look like a fool?" the old lady snapped huffily.

"Well, you don't look like an experienced spy," Severus snapped back.

For a second Consuela considered slapping her nephew and then she smiled a sweet little old lady smile that made Vincent's hair curl and Snape's eyebrow to rise in query. "Of course I'm not a spy, how could you ever think anything so underhanded of me? Especially when you do not know me from Adam!" she added in hardier tones, her smile becoming malevolent. "You just leave it to me, Sonny Jim, and we'll see what we can see."


	29. Serendipity

**Author's Note:** Massive apologies! There is a long, sorry story attached to this; no email, no internet, withdrawal symptoms almost overwhelming! So, please forgive the lack of posts and enjoy this chapter. Regards Les.

Chapter 28 - _Serendipity_

Hermione and Remus Apparated into Malfoy Industries and were greeted by Draco's personal assistant, Trent Kinnsey, a young man who reminded Remus forcibly of Percy Weasley. He escorted them to a comfortable office with two terminals set on modern space age desks surrounded by the latest in Muggle and wizarding technology, including a small fire connected to the Floo network. As soon as Hermione remarked that Remus was not familiar with Muggle computers, a smartly dressed young woman was ushered in and introduced as Miss Jo-Anna Mortdale, the trainer. She was very competent and soon had him using the mouse and making stabs at the keyboard. Shaking his head, Remus set out his favourite dicta-quill and parchment and proved he could take notes faster than she could type. After that the girl confined herself to teaching him how to navigate the Internet. After only an hour, she had to admit that Remus was as competent as need be and only practice would give him any further advantage.

As soon as she left, Hermione laughed at him and passed him over a large bound book that Hermione called a professional directory. "These are the names of the companies Draco wants us to find out about. He hasn't said what he wants to know but, well, I guess we had better see what we could find. You take the first two pages and I'll take the next two and so on."

Remus carefully typed the name of the company into the search engine and pressed enter as if he had a grudge against it. Hermione giggled at his vehemence and set about tracking her own companies down. They worked in pleasant companionship, the gentle murmur of Remus taking notes adding a soft accompaniment to the click of keys or mouse buttons and the hum of the air conditioner.

The first company was of very little interest to Remus as its website was more of an advertisement of its products than anything to do with its company structure or employees. He dutifully made a note of the products it sold just in case then moved on to the next company Hermione had assigned him. It was more interesting and spoke of the research grants that were being serviced at their laboratories and where they had come from. One of the main axioms of business life was 'follow the money', the same axiom that ruled Auror training which he had helped coach Harry and Ron through until he knew as much about the subject as they did.

One of the grants mentioned the Human Genome Project and out of curiosity, Remus followed the links and was immersed in a foreign world of DNA coding letters and spirals and the fascination of the broken gene links. He learned how hereditary diseases and strengths could now be formally mapped and, in the case of fatal defects, the children in the womb tested for signs of carrying the disease or defect. One scientist even speculated that in the future the children could be gene tailored so as to eradicate the faulty gene and replace it with a good one.

This fascinated him and he pursued a couple of key words and ended up at a site that spoke of clone technology and the research that was going into it. He learned about Dolly, the sheep who was cloned, and stem cell research, which horrified many members of the medical community. He learned about women of sixty and older having babies. Since a lot of witches were in their late eighties before they stopped having children, he wondered about that until he read that Muggle women stopped at about forty-five to fifty-five, on average.

There was also some speculation on one website that human cloning had already taken place in Asia. Remus sat very still, his chin tucked up into his chest and allowed his keen and insightful intelligence a chance to absorb and store the wealth of information he had just received. He checked back and forward between the web pages, checking and comparing the information for accuracy and depth. He wondered if there was anything that could be enhanced or adapted to magic and allow them to create a second body to house a little soul in need of a home.

Catching Hermione's attention, he asked if there was a way to keep this information aside so he could show it to Severus later. Hermione smiled and showed him how to bookmark the pages, making them available off line and synchronising them. She wondered what the older man was up to but had the good manners to contain her curiosity. No doubt Remus would tell her if he needed her help, and if he didn't she was sure she would find out at a later date.

Remus noticed the gleam in her eye, but the topic was too vague and he was unsure of its validity to bother her with his wild speculation. Instead, he saved the relevant pages as he had been shown then sat deep in thought for some time. Finally, he recalled the task in hand and guiltily returned to the lists Hermione was obviously still working hard on.

For three days they researched the lists, gathering facts and compiling profiles on names they could run to ground. They charted the names and companies then drew lines to show connections, blue for conglomerates, red for money, green for personnel. Slowly they built up a structure that was more complex than a molecule model. The three-dimensional representation floated in the middle of Draco's office, suspended in midair by a controlled levitation charm. Hermione sat in one chair and Remus sat in the other studying their creation between them for the thousandth time with no more insight than they had for the last twenty-four hours.

"You know, as a piece of modern art it's really special, but as a piece of information, it sucks," Hermione said on a deep sigh. She paused as a knock at the door heralded the arrival of Trent Kinnsey who smiled and indicated the phone.

"There is a call from a Mrs Potter for you, Madame," he announced, picking up the cordless, retrieving the call and handing it over.

"Ginny! How are you? Lunch? Er, I'm working with Remus Lupin… hang on." She covered the mouthpiece and grinned across at her professor. "How do you feel about lunch in the company of ladies?" she asked her colleague who smiled and nodded his agreement. "Include two more," she told Ginny before hanging up.

"So, where are we lunching?" Remus asked in amusement as the personal assistant hurried over to take the phone and put it back into its cradle.

"Ginny has 'discovered' a fantastic place somewhere near Guy's Hospital. We're to meet them near the London Bridge station. In translation it could mean a dingy little cafe or a restored Cordon bleu cuisine bistro. Yes, I know, bit of an oxymoron there but, in London, anything is possible." Hermione laughed at his odd look. "Oh, and Desiree will be there too, she has time off from lectures."

oo0oo

Remus and Hermione Apparated to the nearest place and almost ran into Ginny who had chosen the same corner of a building, too. They met up with Desiree outside the tube station and surprisingly, Desiree led the way to a small footpath cafe near the embankment. They sat at a small round outdoor table shaded by a large striped umbrella and covered by a red and white checked tablecloth. Hermione grinned at the old wine bottle on the table with the old candle wax dribbled artistically down the sides. The waiter dressed in black with a long black apron and an inappropriate moustache hurriedly brought out a basket of bread and four menus.

Eyeing the silverware, Remus did a quick spell then relaxed when he realised it was just stainless steel. "So, where in the world are we supposed to be?" he asked, settling back in the surprisingly comfortable chair.

Desiree grinned. "Bohemian Paris, I think," she giggled. "There's an Eiffel Tower printed on the menu. Oh, I know it's tacky, but they do some fantastic sandwich and quiche plates and their coffee is to die for. A lot of the doctors from Guy's come here for lunch and some of the people from the college too. McWhirter from Neurosurgery was bragging about discovering it, but for once he was right, it is good. So, what have you all been up to?"

"Shopping!" Ginny declared, patting her pockets suggestively. "Some of it is not really exciting but I found this little…."

Remus grinned at the enthusiasm of the three young women for their pastime, or was it classifiable as a sport, or possibly an obsession? They discussed it the same way many wizards tended to discuss Quidditch or chess, with descriptions of past plays, near misses and…. "Good lord, how can one be injured when shopping?" he was moved to exclaim in surprise.

They looked at him as if he had three heads. "Remus, have you never attended a Spring Sale? Or perhaps you've been to a Winter Sale? Ah! That explains it. You have to be quick on your feet, agile enough to weave through the crowds and lightning fast with the elbows and knees if you don't want to lose a prize piece of merchandise."

"You should see some of the Midlands Housewives who come down on bus trips just for the sales. I swear they would make formidable Beaters or Keepers, all shoulders, hips and biceps like legs of ham! Get a couple of those old biddies parking themselves in front of a table and it takes a very solid Banishing spell to move them out of the way, I can tell you!" Hermione declared in all seriousness.

"Stiletto heel to the instep moves most of them along, too," Desiree put in knowledgably as their waiter delivered a platter of sandwiches and bite-sized quiches to the table. The ladies were quick to investigate the goodies, pointing out choice titbits to Remus, who was soon overloaded with delicious little delicacies. Once his plate was catered to, he was amused to see the other three dived in and grabbed what they fancied, all the time declaring that it was going to ruin their diets but since the morsels were merely bite sized, they probably didn't count! If there was logic in that statement of mindset, it was _very_ deeply buried, but he said nothing as they all seemed very content with their delusion!

"Yes, but shopping in stilettos is a whole new level of danger," Ginny remarked, returning to topic and making them all laugh.

"And here was I thinking we turned our students out well prepared to face a potentially hostile world." Remus smiled. "Perhaps we should introduce 'Shopping, a Sales Guide' to the curriculum."

"Oh no, just add a new module to Muggle Studies," Hermione teased. "Maybe you could add a few 'Defence Against the Outraged Sales Shopper' hexes to your curriculum, hmm?"

"Stone Foot hex sounds like a winner to slow your opponent down while you grab the best merchandise."

"Hey, I forgot about that one. Thanks, Remus, I'll try that next time." Ginny giggled then frowned as the older man cocked his head to one side then the other, listening to something she could not hear. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I heard something." Remus frowned, glancing around, his nose wrinkling as he sat up straight. "Something is wrong." The hair on the back of his neck was rising, a sure sign of impending disaster. Magic sparked in the air, wildly uncontrolled and making the three magic users' skin prickle with the static build-up. Remus' sensitive ears would have flattened if he had been in his wolf form as the tortured air screamed in his senses.

For Desiree it seemed as if the wiry man suddenly levitated out of his seat and sprinted toward the road. She had never seen anyone move so fast or jump so far as he sprang into the road, swept something up and sprang back onto the pavement a second before a truck thundered through the space, horns blaring. Ginny was beside her, a hand on her arm, her wand drawn inconspicuously. Hermione was running toward where Remus was now crouched on the footpath, with what looked like a bundle of rag in his arms. People around them were only just beginning to react to the crisis as Ginny began to haul her forward.

"Who is she?" Hermione asked as she knelt down beside the werewolf.

"I think it's Louise Anderson; she's in my fourth year class, Gryffindor of course." Remus held a knowledgeable finger against her jugular then blinked. "She stinks of _Direstium_ and exhaustion but I dare not cast _Acclaro_ here. She is still alive, but she is very weak and her heart is missing beats. Let's get her out of here."

"That might be a trick," Hermione muttered as the crowd began to gather around them, spectators pushing and shoving for a better view. Speculation was rife over what had happened and why. "Move back please; let the poor child have some room."

"Oh my God! Lillian! Oh, thank you, sir, I thought she was dead! I have told her again and again to watch where she's going but no; head in the clouds, too busy day dreaming to consider mundane things like trucks and cars!" Ginny wailed, kicking up enough fuss to make the crowd forget about the main participants. A couple of the women nodded agreement, and many began to drift off now that the central excitement was over. A careless teenager was not a very entertaining incident at all! "Our car is just over there. I'll take her straight to the doctor's."

"I took care of the bill," Desiree commented reassuringly as Remus picked the girl up again. "No loose ends, we can get straight out of here."

"If we move over to the far corner then we can Apparate straight out to St Mungo's. Has Ron Apparated with you before, Desiree? Oh good, that will be easier then," Hermione said decisively, leading the way.

Once out of sight of the main thoroughfare and any curious eyes, all four adults vanished with a slight pop, taking the unconscious girl with them.

oo0oo

St Mungo's was always a bustling hive of activity when the group Apparated into the foyer, a Medi-witch hurrying across to help them. Remus hung back uneasily as he knew quite a few of the staff at St Mungo's still didn't like to have werewolves on the premises, but the new Director was slowly having an effect on the hospital policy. At least they didn't throw his kind out on their ears any more, and they did offer some limited treatment.

The girl in his arms began to stir, blinking awake and struggling against him. "Shush, it's all right, you're safe, Louise," he murmured.

"Professor Lupin? Oh, thank God! I thought the truck had me for sure. I'm not very good at Apparating and I miscalculated. I'm so weak, they've been draining my blood for ages and I had to jump out the window and I feel awful!"

"Who has been draining your blood, child?" a new voice asked and she cringed, burying her face in Remus' jacket. "Hi, I'm Scott Robson, a Medi-wizard here at St Mungo's. Who are you?"

"Her name is Louise Anderson and she is a fourth year student at Hogwarts. Remus pulled her out from in front of a truck when she Apparated into the wrong place," Ginny replied when the girl refused to lift her head.

"And you are?" the young man asked with a touch of arrogance.

"Ginny Potter and that is Desiree Weasley, Hermione Malfoy and Remus Lupin-Snape. Is Danny Halvorsen around? I think this may be a case for him."

"Doctor Halvorsen is in the special medicines unit," the intern answered a little more politely.

"Well, one would expect so, at this time of day. Call him please; there is no time to waste!"

Ginny on her high instep was a force to be reckoned with and she knew how to use her power and influence when she needed to. The young Medi-wizard hurried over to the small Floo and made the call in seconds; Daniel Halvorsen Apparating in a few seconds after that to hug Ginny exuberantly. "How's my favourite cousin, then?" he asked, pushing her back to arm's length and studying her face intently. "You're looking too good to need me."

She giggled. "Not me, silly. Remus rescued one of his students from a truck a few minutes ago. We think she's been hit with _Direstium_." She pointed to the girl and her cousin turned immediately serious as he cast the relevant _Acclaro_ spell. "You were right, Remus; she's all lit up like a fireworks display."

Studying the spell field, Halvorsen looked through it at the man holding the girl and frowned slightly. "Are you alright? Looks like you might need a bit of treatment too."

Blinking, Remus shook his head. "No, I'm fine," he assured the Medi-wizard who continued to shoot him curious glances as they hurried through the corridors leading the bevy of young women in their wake.

"Well, there are a number of spells and some sort of pervasive infection in your tissues, very intertwined and probably untreated, that's all."

Remus sighed resignedly. "I'm a werewolf," he mumbled quietly, blushing bright scarlet, but he refused to be ashamed. If nothing else, Severus had taught him that his lycanthropy was not a cause for embarrassment or apology.

"Oh. Sorry. No wonder it's all-encompassing, and untreated, untreatable really. Well, that explains how come you can be carrying her for so long without collapsing at the knees," Halvorsen added on a lighter note, to cover his gaff. "But that doesn't explain the Life Force tap on your chest, now does it?" he added shrewdly.

"You're very good. Not many spot that. It's there for a very good and wholesome reason, and it stays in place while it is needed."

"Intriguing, but here we are, the Special Unit."

The ward was divided into two halves; the full treatment area and a convalescent care area that included an outdoor patio garden and lots of comfortable lounging furniture, a Muggle style private kitchen and house area for retraining, and a large counselling room. Daniel directed them straight into the first treatment room and Remus arranged the girl on the bed carefully before drawing back a little. He didn't get far before Louise grabbed his sleeve and wouldn't let go.

"Don't leave me!" she wailed, and Remus shook his head.

"It's alright, Louise, you're at St Mungo's and they are going to treat you for your addiction now."

"I'm not an addict. They did this to me! I fell asleep in the car and when I woke up I was strapped down, me and all the others, but I escaped! They didn't find my wand; they thought I didn't have it. They thought I was as helpless as the others, but they didn't realise we figured out how to Apparate last year. We have to get help or they'll kill the others too."

"Easy, Honey, it's alright, it's just one of the--" Halvorson began soothingly, but the girl was having none of it. She struggled up onto one elbow to glare at him with hot; derisive eyes so unlike the usual addict's dull, thin drawn gaze.

"No, you stupid man, it's not an addict's hallucination. I was going to my aunt and uncle's house for a visit and then I woke up in a kind of hospital. It's like a factory for producing _Direstium_! They're using our blood to make it," she screamed frantically. "Professor Lupin! You have to believe me. Please! They're taking Muggle-borns as well as pure-bloods, tying us to beds in an old factory, poisoning us and milking us to make more of the stuff for distribution."

Hermione and Remus exchanged slow, horrified looks. "Oh, Merlin forefend! There is no maker's mark. _Direstium_ lives in a magical field and needs a living body to breed in. So why not use living magical people to breed it, a cheap and easy solution to the production problem. Merlin's balls! It makes a sick and twisted sort of sense. Daniel, start treatment immediately, I'll get Ron, Severus and Draco," Hermione declared firmly. "Better get Harry too, his name carries weight."


	30. Plans and Schemes

**Chapter 29 - _Plans and Schemes_**

"Let the meeting come to order," Daniel said firmly and was totally ignored as the group of mixed witches and wizards continued to speculate amongst themselves. The meeting was being held at St Mungo's to preserve the secrecy of the information, but had been called by the Department of Aurors. Confidentiality charms were in place as well as silencing charms on the walls and floor. The given excuse for the meeting was to show the Aurors the pioneering method of recording a witness's thoughts, which excused the security they had put in place. Daniel wasn't at all sure why he had been asked to preside, and he was even less sure that he could make any sort of stab at it. On his right, Ginny grinned at him shaking her head in amazement.

"Do you really think that is going to bring this lot to heel?" she questioned gleefully. "This is how you do it. Remus, would you please?"

"I hate this, Ginny, you know that?" Remus complained as he threw back his head and howled. The eerie noise touched the primitive roots of every human soul, causing an instant and uncomfortable silence. "Thank you. Doctor Halvorsen has some words for us."

The doctor stood up uncomfortably and introduced himself, spoke briefly on _Direstium_ addiction and how it affected those infected with it. He explained that, while he was treating the girl, Louise Anderson, they had made a remember-crystal of her memories by a new method the hospital had been pioneering. While it was not perfected yet, it was fairly clear and Inspector Weasley would give more details.

Ron rose and moved onto the podium, surveying the mixed audience with a jaundiced eye. He didn't mind the civilians being present, as most were of the old guard, but the Ministry had insisted on sending a couple of observers in, as if they didn't trust Ron's judgement. He singled a few people out with his gaze before starting.

"This following presentation is based on both the remember-crystal and Pensieve evidence given by Louise Anderson. There are some holes and gaps in it, just as there are holes and gaps in your own memory; however it is a reasonably coherent account of her capture, escape and subsequent actions."

"From a _Direstium_ addict?" Fergus McTavish, Ministry Representative said derisively, making Ron glare.

"From a young girl kidnapped and subjected to incarceration as well as medical experimentation," Ron replied in a flat monotone that was more effective than a snarl of rage. "To continue, the whole memory is from Louise Anderson's point of view and only shows what she saw, no more, no less. I want each of you to study the scenes and gather as much detail as you can. This is all we have to go on at the moment but hopefully, it is enough. Remember, there are other kidnap victims whose lives are at stake here. Please, start it."

The lights went down and the space in the centre of the hall lit up as a charm was activated. Those at the back stood up to gain a better view of the proceedings. Those at the front leaned forward eagerly, interest in the new phenomenon running high. In the centre, the glowing ball lit up with the beginnings of the memory, rather like a three dimensional movie.

"_Now kids, have a good time and do as your aunt and uncle tell you. See you in two weeks."_

Dream Louise waved and smiled as the car pulled away from the curb outside a perfectly normal Muggle semi-detached. They were given a good view of the girl beside her, as she leaned forward and put her arms on the back of the seat to talk to the Muggle couple in the front. The aunt smiled over her shoulder and told them they were to join their cousins at a country house for a few days, to experience farm life first hand. The uncle nodded through the mirror and told her to sit back and put her seat belt on so she wouldn't get hurt. She did, locking the buckle into the clasp and glancing at her sister Jennifer who was already reading a book and nodding off to sleep. Louise was getting sleepy too, unusual but not unheard of in the car.

The scene darkened then lightened a few seconds later.

The girl was in a white hospital-like ward space with screens around her. The ceiling was sloped and made of what looked like corrugated iron. It had been painted white but steel girders still made an exposed framework, giving it a warehouse look. She was laid on her back on a flat, hard bed with restraints on her wrists and ankles, a lumpy pillow under her head. She wondered where her aunt and uncle were, but could remember nothing past nodding off to sleep in the car.

She tried to sit up but was dizzy and felt very sick, the green fabric screens wavering in and out of focus. As she turned her head a wave of dizziness almost made her retch. Gasping from the movement, the girl lay still and waited for her head to settle. She could hear someone talking but the curtains drawn around her bed stopped her seeing who it was. About to call out, she paused as the sense of their words came to her.

"_We have two more donors for the project. The elder one is very strong and will make a very significant contribution to the deliverance of the children,"_ a female voice said with smug satisfaction._ "I'm a bit worried about the aunt and uncle though, I hope they will be alright. How did you arrange the crash?"_

"_That was the easy part. They will be fine, a small bump and a memory charm and they didn't even realise the girls were supposed to be staying with them. The parents will be fine too, when they realise what a service we have performed for them. Their niece __Melanie__ was killed __more than ten years ago but they haven't forgotten. She was killed in the Second Voldemort War," _a man replied with genuine sadness in his voice.

"_She was murdered by those monsters too! I will never forgive any of them for all those deaths, ever!"_ the woman behind the screen screeched then moderated her tone with an effort_. "No, we must save as many of them as possible with this new treatment. The medicine destroys the disease and we draw out the bad blood and let them make new, good blood by themselves."_

The picture focussed on Louise's right arm and the tubing that led down to a hole in the floor, her blood draining down into it. Horrified, she glanced left and saw a conventional drip stand holding up a bag of pale straw coloured liquid that was being fed into her left arm. She couldn't believe what was happening. She shook her head as if trying to wake up. As she moved her head, she realised her earrings were still in place, the ones she and her sister had worked so hard on making during the holidays.

At the thought of her sister, she managed to focus her mind a little more despite the swirl of drugs in her system.

"_Where is my sister?" _she yelled.

The curtain swished but Louise could not see who came in. Instead the woman's voice asked what she wanted_. __"Oh, don't fret; we have her safe in the programme too. She will get well just as soon as you do. And Jason will never get sick; we'll make sure he has his medicine early. After all, he has enough problems without adding magic to the mess, too."_

For a second Louise had to agree with the strange woman that having Jason running around as a wizard might be very hard to take, but then the magic might cure him of his autism. She stiffened her resolve.

"_I really, really need to go to the toilet!"_ she said loudly, a real whine in her voice.

"_Oh dear, do you have to? Can you not hold on for another hour or two? Oh well, I suppose I can bring you a bedpan. See, you aren't allowed to move until the first three doses have gone through your system and that is only the second one. Wait here and I'll get you a pan," _the woman said then tittered in a high pitched tone_. "Silly me! Of course you will be waiting here." _The curtain swished and Louise knew she had gone.

The image in the sphere wobbled for a second then firmed as the girl said an engorging charm. One of the wooden spikes on her outrageous earrings became a full sized wand. She quickly transfigured it into a knife to cut the bandages holding her wrists to the bed. It only took a second to free the other and her ankles. She heard someone returning. In a panic, she glanced out the small, square windows as an unrecognised woman entered and yelped to see her sitting up.

Louise Apparated and ended up standing on the concrete of the yard outside.

Sirens went off almost immediately. Louise glanced back over her shoulder fearfully, realising her sister was still trapped and there wasn't a thing she could do about it right now. Two men appeared by the roller-doors, running in her direction. She gathered her resolve and Apparated again, hopping a few miles, and then stopping to regain her strength before Apparating again. She made twelve jumps before she landed in front of a truck and a very familiar person picked her up.

The recording stopped and the enthralled audience drew a collective breath.

"So, did anyone recognise any of those places where she jumped to?" Ron asked mildly into the growing speculation.

Remus tentatively put his hand up and was acknowledged. "The place was north, north west of London, a light industrial estate, probably attached to a small town or village in the Home Counties."

"Oh, come now, that is pure speculation on your part," McTavish scoffed mockingly. "How can you justify such outrageous speculation from the poorly presented maundering of a _Direstium_ addict on a bad trip? We should be more concerned about the illegal use of underage magic, Apparating without a licence. That's just two of numerous charges I want brought against this… this drug addict!"

Furious, Severus was about to snarl at the Ministry Representative, but Remus' hand on his arm stilled him. Ignoring McTavish, Remus continued, "The day was sunny, the time was morning. Studying the shadows at each point, she made a steady if slightly erratic journey to the south, southeast. She made twelve Apparations. The first was a matter of twenty feet from the building to its yard. The second, when she looked back at the warehouse, was perhaps a distance of two miles, the rest of the jumps were line-of-sight. Ten jumps followed and, working on the formula of experience, energy, adrenalin, line-of-sight and exhaustion, at best I could only see her jumping four miles at a time. Since I pulled her out of the road in the middle of London, one can only assumes she was held in the Home Counties. Of course, I could be wrong," he looked at the Ministry Representative, "but werewolves have to learn to navigate by the sun and estimate distance, balanced by energy, very early in their lives, if they want to survive," he added with a curled lip, showing perfect, sharp white teeth.

The Minister backed off, blustering unconvincingly as Ron nodded his approval. "Remus has vast experience in living off the land, as most of us will appreciate. I have always found that his insights and conclusions can be relied on." He paused for the weight of his support to hit home. "So, that narrows the search field down dramatically to a mere ninety-degree slice of the compass and a radius of forty-five miles to be sure. Do we have a map?"

Severus reached up and caught Remus' hand from his arm, pulling it into a fold of his robes as he muttered, "Nature Boy" into Remus' red tinged ear.

The werewolf's head whipped around fast enough to catch Severus unprepared for the quick kiss he dropped on thin lips. "Prick," he muttered back, his temper subsiding under his mate's light teasing.

Amused, Severus smiled gently and threaded his fingers through Remus', rubbing his thumb across his wrist soothingly. "You did well. Shall I poison McTavish for you; it would be very easy from here, a simple translocation spell to move the potion into his stomach."

"Severus! I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore, since they tried to kill off us werewolves with it," Remus muttered, slightly scandalised.

"I wasn't, but I could easily make an exception in his case."

Remus laughed at the deeply meditative tone in his mate's voice, but he didn't accept or deny the possibility as the map was fetched.

The map was enlarged and laid out on a table that was dragged into the central space. The top Aurors in the group crowded around it while the rest hung back or wandered over to a table bearing tea and coffee. Severus procured two cups and mused that it was almost like old times, except Molly Weasley made much better coffee than the Aurors did. The crew at the map table were arguing amongst themselves when Potter's voice rose, dominating the discussion briefly. "She heard sirens. They have some sort of security in place, and we must assume that it is based on both magical and Muggle technology. If you don't foil the Muggle stuff, you may as well not bother with nullifying the charms."

"Who the Hell do you think you are, Mr Civilian?" a querulous young voice demanded belligerently from the group of Aurors gathered on one side of the map.

"I think I'm Harry Potter, who are you?"

There was a collective wince at the harsh note in Harry's voice and a mutter of what might have been apology before Harry continued. "Didn't Severus design an adapted _Acclaro_ spell purely for the detection of _Direstium_? Why not charm glasses with the spell, then get a few people up in the air on brooms to do an aerial survey for any concentrations of the stuff. You can cover a lot of territory on a broomstick, you know, Ron? And see a hell of a long way in all directions."

"It makes sense. Put a _Disillusionment_ spell on them and the Muggles won't see them in the air. We can send in a raiding party when an area is found to be checked," Ron agreed thoughtfully. "Nancy? Can you get twenty observers kitted out and put them on a search grid over this area. Tell them to phone in as soon as they find anything and we'll mobilise the ground forces. John, you organise a raiding party set to Apparate in on a moment's notice. We may be dealing with a mixture of Muggle and Magical offenders so make sure the group have armour spells as well as anti-magic protection. Muggles use those gun things, don't forget."

"Yes, Sir!" The two people named saluted smartly and Apparated out.

"Doctor Halvorsen, can you have a team standing by to Apparate into the area as soon as it is secured to deal with any casualties we might find or sustain? They'd better be steady people who've dealt with messy wounds or _Direstium_ addicts before."

"Can do," Daniel agreed and hurried off immediately.

"Aren't you being a little high-handed here, Inspector Weasley?" Minister McTavish said pompously, pushing his way into the group left at the table to confront the Auror.

"No," Ron said simply then turned to where the old Order Members had congregated by the coffee table. "You lot want in? Good, I could use some steady and experienced hands in the raiding party. Glad Mum isn't here or she would be in like a shot. Oh, and that reminds me, I need to talk to you Snapes about Mother. See me later," he ordered as he turned back to the business in hand.

"Not in this lifetime," Remus muttered as he and Severus exchanged slightly apprehensive looks.

"Yes, and while he reminds me, what _did_ you do to Mum?" Ginny asked curiously. "I went around there last week and she was, was like her old self! Even the old house was just like I remember it, clean and warm and, and home-like. It's a miracle, after so many years of her depression."

"She agreed to work with us at Hogwarts, bringing up our children," Severus said repressively. "I told her she was being totally ridiculous, carrying on like a martyr to the cause. We had a bit of an argument and then she agreed to give the baby-sitting a try."

"She hit him with a frying pan and cracked his skull," Remus put in helpfully, making Ginny goggle then burst out laughing.

"She has a wicked shot with a skillet," Ginny agreed. "Hey, we think it is fantastic that she is recovering and we are so relieved. We, we thought she might, you know, commit suicide if the depression got any worse. So, thanks. Thanks for giving our mother back to us, although I don't think Charlie will be quite so enthusiastic. Mum went to visit him this holidays and I got an owl from him yesterday begging for rescue. She's organising him."

"Well, I did warn him, more than a month ago, but that's what you get for ignoring good advice," Severus said cruelly then smirked. "Rather him than you, hmm?"

"Oh much rather… No! I mean… Oh bugger off, Severus!" Ginny snapped then giggled like a schoolgirl. "Poor Charlie!"

oo0oo

The sound of a ringing mobile phone was so unusual in St Mungo's; it killed all the conversations in the room and heads turned toward the podium where Ron was sitting. He flipped open the small device and listened as he strode over to the map and traced a path with his finger before tapping it decisively. "Got it. Observe the place closely and don't get caught. We'll be sending out the strike team in half an hour. Rendezvous; let me see, on the common between Grim's Ditch and Nettleden Road. Good Luck." He snapped the phone closed and enlarged the relevant section of map until it totally covered the table. "Our teams found a huge concentration of _Direstium_ signature right here at Fellmate's Industrial Complex just outside Potten End. It's thirty-three miles outside London, Remus, one heck of a close calculation, well done."

Remus nodded acceptance of the compliment even though it made the Minister's ears glow red and angry, especially because it made McTavish so angry!

Ron flipped open the phone and dialled rapidly, speaking to someone on the other end and giving them the designated rendezvous co-ordinates before closing the phone again. "All right, let's go. Ginny, you and Hermione come in with the medical teams, Severus, Remus, Draco; you come in with my team…"

"I most strongly protest!" McTavish yelped angrily, surging to his feet and pointing a stabbing finger in the direction of the three named. "How can you trust them not to be…?"

"Oh, _Stupefy_!" a voice rang out and the Minister flopped into a boneless heap on the floor. "That man is nearly as bad as Fudge at times," Harry said conversationally. "Shall we get on with it, then?"

"Harry, mate, you are seriously scary when you do things like that!" Ron protested then grinned. "Good hit, mind." They high-fived each other; as their palms slapped together they both Apparated, Harry taking direction from Ron.

"Shall we?" Severus asked; Remus and Draco grinning as all three popped out.

"Stay behind with the non-combatants indeed!" Ginny fumed angrily. "Who the Hell does he think he is?"

"The Divisional Inspector of Aurors," Hermione said mildly, ginning at her friend. "And your big brother, of course," she added provocatively.

"I'll give him big brother! And bloody husband too! _And_ they left you behind," Ginny yelped, working herself into a fine old temper.

"Yes, they did," Hermione agreed rather more pensively. "Draco and I decided a long time ago that, if one of us was going into combat, the other would stay home with the children, just in case. That way we could guarantee Lysander would have at least one parent alive at the end of the war. The rule was never revoked."

"And how many times did Draco let you go forth and him stay behind?" Ginny demanded aggressively.

"Draco is Slytherin; he never had a problem with misplaced heroics so he stayed back at least fifty percent of the time."

"Bloody Slytherins!" Ginny sighed, her temper bubble bursting as she subsided into a chair. "So, what do we do about him?" She hiked a thumb at the _Stupefied_ Minister.

"Nothing, leave him stunned until the mission is over then _Obliviate_ him," Hermione said carelessly, her voice flat with dislike.

"Sounds like a plan," Ginny agreed. "Or we could just _Obliviate_ him now, give us something to do while we wait," she added playfully.

First a word to anyone living at Potten End in England, Muahahaha! On your toes folks! Second, Potten End, Grim's Ditch and Nettleden Road are real places; Fellmate Industrial complex only lives in my twisted little brain. (Aren't you glad?)


	31. Raid

**Chapter 30 - _Raid_**

The Fellmate Industrial Complex was a hive of activity in the bright summer evening, even though it was well after seven pm. The big trucks hauling scaffolding moved in and out of the yard in a seemingly never-ending chain. As one truck disgorged its load of beams and scaffold pieces another loaded up with other bits and pieces to be hauled away. The second warehouse received and sent out smaller trucks with loads of boxes which had '_Fine China. Handle with Care_' marked all over them. Occasionally an unmarked utility vehicle would pick up a single cardboard box, sometimes two, driving off into the evening sun. Those utilities were the ones Ron wanted watched and traced back to where ever they were going. A couple of the broomstick mounted aerial squad were told to track and report on their final destination.

Information on the inside of the warehouse was thin to the point of non-existent. They guessed it was two stories at the back and perhaps three at the front, the roof was sloped and there were small windows just under the roof peak. The front of the building had a couple of offices on the second storey. They knew that because one of the secretaries had turned on all the lights before closing the blinds, giving them a good look at the interior. One of the Auror operatives had gone in through the front door to enquire after the fine china only to be told the building was just a clearing-house for wholesalers. If she wanted to make a purchase, she had to go to one of the retail outlets in London.

"There wasn't much to see, Sir, just a reception counter where the drivers were passing over bills of lading. Through the door there was high rack shelving with a forklift moving about, but the shelving cut off sight of the back of the warehouse, so I couldn't see much at all," Olivia Breton reported.

"Hmm, okay, thanks, Olivia." Ron sighed and flipped open his phone to make a call.

A few moments later a small, mousy brown man Apparated in and grinned at his boss. "What do you need, Sir?"

"Jonah, can you get into that warehouse and case the joint for me?" Ron asked with a grin.

The small man turned to look at the distant warehouse and smiled cheerfully. "Piece of cake," he declared, shrank to the form of a sparrow and flew off cheeping wildly.

"Bird Animagus, registered even," Ron told Harry as they sat down on the soft, springy grass to wait.

When the sparrow returned, it perched on a branch for a second, puffing, then morphed back into human form. The two accompanying sparrows flew off indignantly. Jonah Molinski fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a packet of sandwiches, devouring them before he said a word to anyone. "Fast metabolism," he muttered, stuffing another into his mouth. "Sorry about that. When you eat like a bird, it usually means stuffing your face twenty-four/seven. Okay! There are seven people in the warehouse, none of them wizards. Two have guns, both security guards, and another one has a tazer I think, but is not in uniform. The building is divided about twenty feet from the south end, cutting off a space that seems to be sealed from the rest. I'm not sure of that, but I saw no traffic between the two sections. There are twenty-five rows of shelving split by a central aisle with one flit, which is about fifteen feet between each rack. There are huge harvesters moving about, drivers but not security people. They pick up boxes off the shelving and bring it to the small trucks that leave regularly. There were five drivers waiting near the loading dock and one of them had wholegrain breadcrumbs, which was really…. Sorry." The Animagus blushed a little when one of the listening Aurors giggled softly.

Ron smiled too, nodding his approval. "Have to stay in character, hmm?" He dropped his chin onto his chest thoughtfully, contemplating the leaf mulch under his feet. "Did you get any sense of the magic or Muggle devices protecting the building?"

"No, sir. Sorry, Sir, my bird form doesn't recognise anything not living."

"No problem. Harry? Want to give it a look over for me?" Ron asked of his oldest friend.

"Yeah. Point me," Harry nodded, pulling out his wand and cocking his head expectantly.

Severus stepped up behind Harry and laid a long fingered hand over his shoulder. "Would I be a better pointer?" he asked softly near Harry's ear. Harry stiffened, nodding jerkily. "Will you be able to cope with it? That is probably more to the point," Severus added grimly.

For a second, Harry refused to move then sighed deeply. "It's too important for my reticence," he said, a miserable smile threatening to break as he conscientiously forced himself to relax.

"Ready?" Severus asked, gripping his shoulder and laying the other hand on his messy black hair. "_Legilimens__ bifocala teltos_."

Harry gasped, Severus stiffened and they both turned carefully, Harry's wand moving with them. He looked up, Severus following the move exactly, then looked around and over to the far end of the building and back again. His survey was comprehensive and encompassing before he turned and smiled wryly at Ron. "That is one really stupid moustache, Ron, worse than the one you grew when we were in training."

"It _is_ the one I grew in training," Ron protested mildly then realised what his friend had said. "You can see me?"

"Yeah, and it's really hard on Severus." They quickly moved in lock-step to the plan Ron had been drawing on the slate he had brought, prodding various lines with his wand tip. "Now listen carefully. See the south end, here? There are a number of alarm charms covering it, cast by at least three people. The warehouse itself has a Muggle electronic system, but it should be disabled if you cut off the main power and take out the back-up batteries that are located under the counter. Cast _ex Tenebris_ and you'll get around fine in the dark. I have to let Severus go now, we're getting tired."

Severus reeled back and was caught by Remus as Harry released him from the thrall he had cast to loan out his eyes. It was a very difficult and advanced spell very few managed. While Severus was skilled enough to initiate the connection, Harry was powerful enough to sustain it for more than a few seconds. They both stood panting while their various supporters held them up then grinned crookedly at each other. It had taken a leap of faith the first time they had ever tried the spell and they didn't try it often.

"You okay?" Remus asked gently as his husband panted as if he'd been running for miles.

"Hmm, I will be in a second. It's not easy doing three things at once when two of them are in direct opposition to each other. We use Legilimency and Occlumency at the same time, while leaving the part of your mind that controls the senses free. Harry has to pull the same trick, and then we have to match our senses up so he can use mine. It's one of the reasons I am so fond of the Potter children. Having seen them both through their father's eyes, while he was seeing them through mine, does make a difference," he murmured so softly only his partner's werewolf keen hearing could pick up the words.

Ron was continuing the briefing of his people.

oo0oo

The plan was simple, they would split into four parties, one to take out the electricity, one to take out the drivers on the loading dock, one to take out the workers inside the building and the final party to neutralise the spells on the hidden part of the building. Once they had the place secured, three parties would enter the hidden portion and secure it for evidence. Hopefully they would be able to rescue Louise's sister and any other captives, and not find they had become casualties.

Severus, Remus, Harry and a young Auror called Sarah Dimitrios were given the task of neutralising the spells on the far end of the building, much to the surprise of the older Aurors. Dimitrios was told to guard Harry's back first and foremost, her abilities lying in the area of shielding charms and hexes. Remus automatically guarded Severus without orders, leaving him free to turn his whole mind to the alarms and guarding spells on the building. As they approached, both Harry and Severus carefully studied the spells, twin puzzled frowns pulling at their brows.

"Are you getting the same thing I am, Severus?" Harry was finally moved to ask suspiciously.

"Bloody amateurish spells of low power but put together in a rather unique and extremely volatile way. Yes? This is the sort of mish-mash you would expect from third-years after they have had a Hogsmeade weekend and are full of Honeyduke's sugar," Severus commented acerbically, and all three wizards sniggered although the Auror simply looked puzzled at the reference.

"If we take out the envelope charm - as in something to go around an owl scroll - we should be able to neutralise the squawk hex," Harry mused.

"No, we would have to take the movement detection spell at the same time or it will collapse and set off the squawk very efficiently."

"A bit like playing Jenga, isn't it?" Harry laughed as they stopped at the edge of the chain-link fence and continued to study the problem.

Remus jumped up and landed on the top strand of wire over the fence, balancing there for a second before he jumped down on the other side. A flick of his wand and an invisible knife followed the path of his jump, slicing through the wire as if it was made of butter. The two halves peeled back neatly, leaving a wide, unimpeded path through the fence. The Auror nodded her approval as she guided her charge through the gap. Severus thanked his partner with an absentminded kiss as he continued to discuss the problem with Harry.

"So, you dissolve the envelope and I'll stabilise the motion detector. Then we'll deal with what's left," Severus murmured.

It was the work of a few moments to dismantle the spells then, to their astonishment, the rest dissipated with barely a whimper. "All air, no substance. What sort of idiot protects a hidden facility with school kid type charms and spells?" Severus protested.

"Someone who doesn't really know the difference?" Harry hazarded softly. "The more I hear and read about this great conspiracy, the more I get the feeling of smoke and mirrors. Think about it. How many magical fingerprints are you seeing on this plot? And what sort of calibre are they? They are amateurs, poorly trained amateurs at that!"

"We're in," Remus told them softly as he closed the phone Ron had handed him. "These are handy little devices, we should get one," he muttered in an aside to Severus as he slipped the mobile into his pocket.

Severus smiled indulgently. "If you want one to play with, then there is no problem, buy one. Now what?"

The assault on the building was going smoothly with only one casualty, and not a terribly serious one at that. One of the Muggle security guards had fired at one of the Aurors and hit him in the leg with the pellets from his shotgun. Fortunately, they turned into foam rubber when they hit the spell field around the Auror. Unfortunately, it was a close range shot. They hadn't finished the transfiguration nor had they lost their momentum when they hit, knocking the Auror down and breaking his leg. The guard had been hit by a couple of _Petrificus_ _Totalus_ spells before his victim had even hit the ground.

The rest of the assault teams were in by the time Severus' team was in place and all were ready to break into the sealed part of the building. Harry and Severus re-surveyed the building, finding no nasty surprises, much to their disgust. If they had been setting the security, it would have been many layered and much, _much_ nastier!

Remus used his wand as a cutter to create a new door in the wall closest to them, Remus was very good at those sorts of spells, slinking though the opening with the barest of movement. Nothing stirred amongst the tall, stainless steel tanks as he entered the lower floor of the building. Machinery sighed quietly to itself, a rhythmic throbbing that was so low it was felt rather than heard, like a heartbeat deep in the darkened space. Moving forward, he sensed rather than heard Severus, Harry and Sarah follow him, knowing they were using _ex Tenebris_ to see with. He spotted movement to his left and froze, sniffing delicately before gliding away, his instincts leading him. Without even thinking, he stalked up behind the Muggle and tapped him on the shoulder with his wand, murmuring _Stupefy_ almost soundlessly. He caught the body as it collapsed, easing it to the ground. Sniffing again, he couldn't catch any further Muggle scents but he did smell blood, lots and lots of it!

Thanking Merlin that it was new moon, he continued to ghost through the area, checking for stray personnel. The area was clear, a murmur into his cell phone passing the message on to Ron who was holding his parties outside until the all clear came. A second doorway was cut from the warehouse into the hidden space and the Aurors came though, wands at the ready. There was a flurry of small hand signals too subtle for most to catch as the main assault forces sidled up to the staircase, heading for the top storey at the far end of the twenty by one hundred foot space. The phone vibrated once in Remus' hands, giving the all clear and everyone began to relax when a bitten off yelp made them all drop into combat crouches.

Instinctively, Remus added a _levo_ to his jump that took him up to the balcony, a hand on the rail allowing him to vault into the space from an unexpected angle. One of the Aurors was down, a trickle of blood seeping out of her hair, the other was arched backward, a crazed set of eyes flashing wildly over his shoulder, a wand gouging a dent in his neck.

"We have a situation," someone muttered from the direction of the stairway and the two in front of Remus twitched uneasily.

"Hello," Remus said cheerfully. "Would there be a Jennifer Anderson here?"

There was a startled, disbelieving pause, then a small uncertain voice from the back of the space replied, "Yes?"

"Oh good, your sister said you had been taken too. It's Professor Lupin here, and we've brought some Aurors to get you all out."

"Don't believe him, it's a hallucination. That's a werewolf I tell you, he jumped like a werewolf," a male voice said with wild hysteria.

"Professor Lupin _is_ a werewolf, didn't you know?" someone else said and giggled. "Is that really you, Sir?"

"Yes, it's really me. Watch your eyes people, I'm about to cast _lumos_," he warned, making it soft and gentle then slowly gaining strength.

The circle of light crept over the huddle of wild eyed and terrified young people dressed in what appeared to be an eclectic mixture of street and night clothes. They were all very frightened and a couple seemed to be watching things others couldn't see. The ghostly shapes of hospital beds drifted out of the darkness, also curtains, shredded bandages and a layer of bloody gore over the floor.

"Oh Mama! You lot made such a _mess_!" The soft exclamation was so incongruous there was a spate of giggles from both sides of the standoff. With the tension running out of the victims, they released their captive and allowed Remus to approach.

Ten people had been held in the facility, some of them longer than the others. As soon as they could be calmed down enough to be reasonable, Ron called for the medical teams to come in and treat them on the spot before taking them away. Each medical team was assigned an Auror who was charged to guard their patients with their lives and to record anything they said.

Besides Jennifer Anderson, there was Morgan Jeffires from sixth year, also Muggle-born and very disorientated. He thought he'd been there for three weeks, but he wasn't sure. He recognised both Remus and Severus, but he seemed paranoid to the point of scary when it came to the Aurors. He had been the one to club down Penny Madrigal and capture her partner Patrick O'Connell. Even when the medical teams Apparated in he was more inclined to run away and hide than stay and be treated. Only Snape, grabbing his arm and ordering him to behave like a man, stopped him trying to jump out of the window as Remus gently removed the wand from his slackening hand.

Of the ten people who had been held in the warehouse, six were from Hogwarts, either present or graduated students and the other four were graduates of other schools who had been working in London before their capture. Each of them was as dazed and as disorientated as most _Direstium_ addicts, having been held much longer than the Anderson girls.

The wand he was holding belonged to Jennifer Anderson who had also concealed it in a pair of large, handmade earrings, as had her sister. Jennifer had attached herself to Remus' arm and was not letting go for anyone. She clung to the man like a life-raft and wouldn't be moved from his side even when the medical team tried to remove the drip canellas from her arms. Shrugging, Remus patted her arm reassuringly and signalled Severus he was going to stay where he was for a while. Each of the patients had the same needles buried in their veins, one side to remove the blood, the other to pump the replacements in.

oo0oo

Severus followed the blood lines down from the ceiling to the stainless steel holding tanks on the ground floor. They were quite large and when _Acclaro_ was cast, they sparked brightly with concentrated _Direstium_. From the tanks, the blood was pumped though to a separator. The sophisticated centrifuge allowed the different levels to be siphoned off into their own holding barrels, blood fractions at the top, the _Direstium_ down at the bottom.

Following the charmed spark lines, Severus traced the _Direstium_ to what appeared to be a bottling plant. There it was deposited into flasks, padded in polystyrene foam then packed in plain boxes. He stared at the concentrated death in a bottle grimly, before slipping a small flask into his inner pockets. No doubt it would come in handy at some point in the future. He didn't class it as stealing, any more than he classed picking up fresh comfrey when out walking with Remus in the Forbidden Forest; just his natural urge to garner potions ingredients wherever he may.

Just for curiosity, he traced the blood fractions back and realised they were split up. The red cells were discarded and the straw coloured fluid bagged, ready to be pumped back into those poor sods who had been strapped to the beds upstairs. The concept of recycling was not one that wizards gave much thought to, but this was diabolically clever. By using old blood, they did without having to conjure up a substitute potion, which only a master brewer could have produced. If a Potions Master had been approached to brew a blood replacement potion in the quantities they would have needed, it would have stirred up quite some suspicions around the country.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Snape made his way back to the main body of the rescue party.

oo0oo

Draco looked around the office space, pulling open drawers in the filing cabinet and peering into cupboards, visually inventorying everything he could see. Well versed in the use of computers, he was quick to power the closest one up and scan the file system, making a mental note of some of the file names. Nodding decisively to himself, he pointed his wand at the computer server, the terminals and then the filing cabinets, quickly placed the shrunken objects into his pockets and checked the time on his fob watch.

Not three minutes later there was a sudden drop in temperature and a sickly, prickling feeling to the air as two men materialised in the darkened office. The taller of the two saw Draco standing there and nodded in his direction as they engorged the contents of their pockets. He replaced the filing cabinet against the wall, while the shorter of the two hooked up the newly restored computers and flicked them on to test with easy competency. Checking that all was in order, the two nodded to Draco once again then Disapparated, the office left in pristine condition.

Smiling to himself, Draco checked his watch again then silently ghosted away and rejoined the group he had been attached to by Weasley. He did not want to put the Aurors in an awkward position. He knew very well that the Aurors would possibly be just as efficient at sorting out the information. His people, however, would be a lot more ruthless in acting on it than the 'powers-that-be' would allow! Using time turners was, of course, highly illegal, but only if you were caught. Besides, if Hermione didn't have something to work on she would be very upset with him and he really didn't like upsetting his darling wife.

_Ex Tenebris: 'See in the dark'_ spell. I think it was invented by A J Hall (Fiction Alley. Well worth reading for Neville/Draco shippers.). I hope she doesn't mind.


	32. Puzzle Pieces

**Chapter 31 _- Puzzle Pieces_**

A weight landed in the middle of Severus' back and he jerked awake, his wand flying to his hand. Giggles made him bite his tongue to stop the curse that was his first, panicked reaction. He pushed a hank of black hair out of his face to almost bump noses with a little blonde who had invaded his space. Groaning, he endured a barrage of kisses, hugs and giggles before sitting up and scrubbing at his face. Angelinus settled cross-legged at his side and grinned at him cheerfully. She had no respect for the earliness of the hour, the shortness of his temper on being disturbed or the sanctity of his sleep, the little wretch. Still, he had learned not to explode furiously at such occurrences, although no adult, except perhaps one, would dare approach him first thing in the morning without a few _Protegos_ already cast upon themselves.

It took a moment or two for his sleep fogged brain to actually process what he was seeing then he tried to blink hard a number of times, not really believing it. "What have you done to yourself, Child?" he was forced to ask as he focussed on her face and took in her splendour.

Angelinus grinned, holding a pale lavender silk and chiffon negligee out as if she was about to curtsey even in a sitting position, shrugging a thin shoulder to keep the too big neck from slipping off one shoulder. There were bows, ribbons and what appeared to be rather expensive jewelled combs and even a diamond tiara perched precariously all over her head. Her face was decorated with a bizarre and colourful array of war paint that would have done a rampaging American Indian tribesman proud, or a clown in Ringling's Circus. "Me and Silky put on really real makeup. Aren't we pretty?"

"Hmm, a slightly less heavy hand might be more appropriate," Severus said sarcastically, then bit his tongue hard and quickly changed his mind when his brain caught up with his mouth. The little girl looked devastated and her lip quivered as the smile threatened to turn upside down. "However, it is a very artistic use of colour and very nice blending of … er, very pretty lipstick," he managed diplomatically, pumping as much sincerity into his words as he was able on such short notice, and was rewarded by a sunny smile again.

"Linus doesn't like it at all and he doesn't like playing dress-up, but me and Silky do. So, I told him to just go to sleep, grumpy bum." The little girl said in 'so there' tones then paused thoughtfully and gave him a very adult look. "Linus wants to play Quidditch with the boys all the time, but I hate Quidditch. Don't tell Linus but I don't like high places and going down hard 'til my tummy hurts. We had a fight because Thorn asked Linus to play and Silky asked me and we had a biiiiig fight and Aunt Hermione said we were not to scream rude words and pull our hair out like that." There was an unusually bright shimmer and a number of facial contortions before the child's facial structure changed subtly under its garish layer of colour.

Linus was in charge of the body instead of Angel and he folded his arm with a grim glare. "She only wants to play with her dolls and stuff, but I want to play Quidditch and run about with Thorn. I don't want to fight all the time, but sometimes I want to be… Having friends is hard, Uncle Severus."

Severus pulled the small, miserable child up close and hugged them tight. He looked over the soft, silky hair to where Remus was framed in the doorway listening with tears in his eyes. "It's time to resolve this situation," he murmured as the little one cried. "As soon as the _Direstium_ crisis is over, we are going to solve this problem once and for all."

Remus nodded his agreement as he came in and placed a tray on the bedside table. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he made it a three - no - four-way hug, regardless of the excess make-up that was being liberally transferred to his clean robes. They stayed in a comforting huddle for a short while before shrieks of outrage echoed down the corridor. Hermione was heard to threaten death and destruction to the person who had been into her make-up case.

"I think we need to polish our apology skills at this point," Severus said dryly.

Remus broke into laughter, scooping their errant child up with a shaken head and conspiratorial wink. "Never fear, we will protect you from the 'Gryffindor Lioness'," he assured the child as he tossed them onto his shoulder and galloped out the door, leaving Severus with a deeply thoughtful frown.

Remus had told him about the strange science the Muggles had been playing with, gene splicing and cloning of all things that he had read about on the fishing net, whatever Muggle monstrosity that might be. Weren't there enough blasted Muggles in the world without that sort of thing? Still, it did bring up some interesting possibilities for Severus and his current dilemma over the twins. Polyjuice potion changed the structure of the body, warping it into someone else's using the traits it gathered from a singe strand of hair or bit of fingernail. Admittedly, it was only temporary and for a very short time but what if… what if he added a charm or a transfiguration component? Could he use a mixture of Skele-gro to form the skeleton and then perhaps a more developed form of Polyjuice potion to form the overall look? There were plenty of healing potions that created or reformed organs when a magical person was injured or jinxed. Could they be recombined? After all, if a limb could be grown from a stump, surely a body could be grown from another, or a modified copy, or something… The possibilities swirled around inside the Potions Master's brain at a frightening rate until a knock at the door startled him out of his revere.

Yes, indeed, the possibilities were endless, but there were other priorities at this very moment and he had things to accomplish before he could devote the amount of time he would need to their own personal problem. Sighing deeply, he pulled back the bedclothes and rose to face the day.

oo0oo

Hermione browsed the contents of the server Draco had brought for her, shaking her head in puzzled dismay. A lot of the files were just the usual bookkeeping and junk, but some were odd in that they were simply lists of names and dates. There were shipping files for boxes of china and for 'incidentals', invoices for various things like oats, bulk vitamin pills and sports supplements, a lot of extraneous 'stuff' that had little to do with china shipment or scaffolding equipment and none of it made much sense. Much of the space was taken up with pictures of china pieces and she was almost distracted when she spotted some very elegant breakfast china in a particularly nice matte glaze that would go so well in the Little Breakfast Room. Sighing, she pulled her wayward thoughts back to the very boring task at hand and turned to the second desk where Remus was going through the papers taken from the filing cabinet with a ruthless single-mindedness and concentration that was formidable.

He had sorted everything into piles, like to like, and then he went through each pile moving them into chronological order. He had not added any filing charms to the papers but had left them totally unaffected by magic just in case his casting masked something important. It was a tedious and time-consuming task that needed a meticulous hand and a prodigious memory when there were no spells to assist one.

"Have you got a clue, Remus?" she asked, picking up her coffee and grimacing to find it was freezing cold. A tug of the bell pull had fresh tea and coffee delivered by house-elf in seconds. She poured a fresh cup of tea, ready for Remus as he struggled to process her question.

He blinked and blinked again, coming out of his daze. "I may have an inkling of a glimmer. Some of these names are tantalisingly familiar, but I can't think why. Listen to this. Grimshore, Ben. Mergeson, Paul. Smith, Gary and Angela. Higginbottom, Violet, Rose, Daisy, and Pansy. Here's a familiar one, Rosier, John and Evan. Any sparks?"

"Violet, Daisy, Pansy, Rose and…damn, it's so close I can taste it. Don't you hate that? Okay, leaving the names aside, let's see if this sparks you. Brighton nine, Godric's Hollow thirteen, Lewiston two, Little Marshside twenty-four, London four hundred, Manchester fifty three, Marmesett four, Newcastle on Tyne forty-nine, Port Augustus five, Tiddwell six, Shadwell, five…"

"Wait! Let me think a moment. Towns and numbers, why does it… Dead! Little Marshside was a small village near Middlesex, population twenty-nine. After the Death Eaters had been through there was only five left, twenty-four dead. The pack I was leading at the time passed through a half an hour after they had left. Godric's Hollow lost thirteen when Pe… Peter killed them to frame Sirius. You know what this is? This is a list of towns and the numbers are dead Muggles, killed by Death Eaters during the war. But why would they have a list such as this? This is odd information to have even for a conspiracy group. Newspapers! We need back issues of both Muggle papers and the Prophet."

"What years, do you think?" Hermione asked, typing rapidly on the keyboard near her right hand.

"The first and second wars I should think. Can we search by the town names?" Remus jumped up to look over her shoulder, all signs of tiredness gone as they studied the screen. "Yes, see, Manchester, June 1975, fifty three killed by unexplained explosion from the Times but the Prophet says, _Death Eaters kill fifty-three Muggles in a rampage through the heart of Manchester. A note left at the scene said that 'all those of mixed and Mudblood will be destroyed, and their families with them_.' Do we have a list of the names of the dead?" Remus' fingers itched to get at the keyboard but he knew Hermione was better at getting the Muggle machine to cough up the information he wanted.

"Here we go; Anderson, Foster, Kent, McDonald, Petersham, Smith, Snowdon, Thomas, Threadwell," she continued to read out the names but there was no connection made.

"Let's try a more recent one. Let's try Robert Persevert-Crabbe," Remus said meditatively and watched as the information rolled over the screen. "Okay, do Anderson next and cross reference it with the list of names and numbers. Bingo! Now try the list from the Times. Are you seeing the pattern here? Can we look at the list of missing persons Ron gave us? Cross-reference it with…, yes. Oh dear, we really have stepped in it this time, haven't we?"

Hermione gave him a quick furtive look then picked up the phone. "I don't know about you, Remus, but I think it's time to call in the professionals."

"Agreed."

oo0oo

"You did what?" Ron's face was even redder than his hair as he bellowed at the group of adults in Draco's office. "You bloody Slytherin bastard! I could have you banged up in Azkaban for the rest of your life, do you know that! Tampering with evidence! Using an illegal time turner. Stealing…"

"Borrowing," Hermione put in mildly, the chill in her voice suddenly dropping the room's temperature quite a few degrees. "He only _borrowed_ the papers so he could make a copy for me and he put them straight back without disturbing a thing. Now admit it, you and your so-called professional staff didn't even miss them until I told you what had happened. And tell me, Ron Weasley, just how far have your precious Aurors got in deciphering this lot? I'll tell you how far they have managed to stumble: nowhere! Not a glimmer! Go on, admit it, Ronald Weasley!" She was working up a fair head of steam as the unfairness of her friend's accusations and the insults to her darling husband sank in. "We openly offered the resources of our extremely large, _multinational_ conglomerate, our personal help and assistance freely to aid in any way we could but your precious departmental head said '_oh no, can't have bloody civilians paddling around in the evidence, mucking it up_.' The condescending bastard! And I'll have you know, Ronald Bilius Weasley, Remus and I have put it together without help from your so called '_professional_ _code breakers_' on our own, without any great drama, because _we are smart_ and they are ruddy government employees!"

"Merlin, she's gorgeous when she's all riled up," Draco put in an aside to Severus who was watching the show with a smirk that rivalled Draco's.

"You are a very brave man to be married to such a firebrand," Severus conceded, watching as Weasley slowly lost all vestiges of colour until he was as pale as milk, his freckles standing out starkly. His wide blue eyes followed the movement of her finger like it was a loaded wand.

"Er, Hermione, I think the point has been made now. Shall we present the evidence?" Remus put in diffidently, always the peacemaker, tapping a nervous finger on the folder he had prepared.

Hermione stopped mid-rant and blinked, before nodding her agreement sharply. "Very well! We started by reading the lists we retrieved from the server, you know, _the one Draco duplicated for us_!" Everyone winced at her sarcasm. "Their naming system is very strange but it is possible to make some sense of it, especially when you have already have a few names to give you a clue. As a starting point, we began with the names Louise and Jennifer Anderson, and came up with the Input List." She brandished a roll of parchment under Ron's nose but didn't pause long enough to allow him to ask any questions, much less grab it. "This list of names has a number after each one and a couple of dates, except those names that correspond with the people we rescued yesterday. They have only one date at the beginning of their entries. Again, extrapolating from Louise and Jennifer's case, we surmised that the first date is the day of capture and the second date denotes the day of release for the rest of the entries."

"They released people?" Ron asked, settling down now that his interest was caught. "Who? Where are they now? Do you know? Can we interview them?"

Remus passed a sheet of Muggle paper over and pointed to a few names near the top. "This information is what made us decide to call you in earlier than expected. The top names are marked with either a 'D' or an 'E'. We couldn't figure out what they actually stood for until we came to the name Persevert. It is unusual enough to stand out from the rest of the more common names. He has an 'E' but then a note has been added and the 'E' changed into a 'D' with the word 'addict' keyed in after it. Draco brought a Robert Persevert-Crabbe in to Severus to test the _Direstium_ cure on and it worked. We thought he was an addict and treated him as such."

Hermione took up the story next. "Then we went into the list of addicts that have been seen at St Mungo's in the past few months and guess who we found, six of our people from this list are on the St Mungo's list as deceased addicts. A further four people on our list are also found on the missing persons list as missing magicals."

"Hermione then had a very scary idea and pulled up a list of people missing in the Muggle world and then we found the rest of our donations list people. The people marked with an 'E' seem to be dead or missing which left us with the 'D' category." Remus flattened out the list where his hand had begun to crush it and sighed deeply before continuing. "One of the people is an ex-student of mine so we gave the family a call and they were all too pleased to tell us that Edith Rice-Gannon was all cured from that evil disease, magic, and living a real life and if we ever called again, they would sue us for harassment! After a few more calls with very similar results, we decided that the 'E' stands for 'Eliminated' and the 'D' stands for 'Discharged'. We think the number accompanying the name records how many pints of blood the person donated. The first date is the 'admissions' date, or the day they were captured and the last date is the day they were either released or buried."

"Are we talking about what, twenty dead people here?" Ron asked incredulously, staring from one to the other in disbelief. "Do you know how hard it is to get rid of one body, never mind twenty?"

"It's really very easy indeed," Severus murmured, then straightened as they all turned to stare at him in surprise. "Oh, come now, you all knew what I did for a living back then, and getting rid of the bodies was basically an everyday task at one point. A body in its natural state is quite cumbersome but transfigure it into something else, a rock or a miniature, and it is simple. It doesn't even have to look human, change it into a small animal and leave it beside the road as road kill. How many dogs and cats get hit by cars on the motorways, not to mention rabbits and foxes?"

"Is that why we can't find a lot of the missing from the war?" Ron asked pugnaciously.

"Not from me, I usually tried to leave the corpse on the family's doorstep. It was usually both kinder and more sinister."

"Enough!" Remus snapped when Ron looked ready to begin another fight. "We can assume the bodies are long gone, one way or the other. The point is they took over a thousand pints of blood over a five-month period. Severus calculated that in full production, each pint of blood would yield about an ounce of _Direstium_ so that would give about a thousand ounces of the filthy stuff to account for."

Hermione shuffled her papers into a neat bundle, then sighed and looked up at Ron. "How did tracing the shipments go?"

"We followed three of them to the highway and heading toward the Midlands, but then we lost them. It was as if the _Direstium_ just faded away and died," Ron confessed gloomily. "Even visually tracking the vehicles from moving broomsticks proved to be a nightmare. Most vehicles look the same from above and putting a tracking spell on them was a bit of a joke. As soon as the vehicle picked up speed and joined the motorway the spells seemed to go haywire and were impossible to track."

"Odd," Severus murmured, chin on hand. "Perhaps their protection system is more efficient than we are giving them credit for and we were only picking up traces on the outside of the container. When the traces of _Direstium_ on the outer surface died through lack of magic to feed on, then the trace was lost."

"It makes a ghastly sort of sense," Hermione agreed, biting her lip. "Muggles have come a long way with coolite and Styrofoam."

Severus asked what on earth she was talking about and the conference degenerated until Ron sighed in exasperation. "Later, Hermione, Severus, later! Any further information we might be able to use?"

"There is one interesting point, possibly nothing but a curiosity," Draco mused softly. "All the paper in the filing cabinets was of Muggle manufacture, folder covers, dividers and documents, not a slip of parchment to be found. The writing was all done in Muggle ballpoint pen, pencil and computer ink, no trace of quill ink at all. There were no spells of any sort on the cabinets or the computers, not even an untangle spell on the filing system, and no security spells or protection charms of any kind. After we found those poor quality charms on the building I sort of expected something, but there was absolutely nothing at all to indicate magical involvement in this plot. Very odd, don't you think? As if the magical elements were relegated to the outside, merely an afterthought, and the inner sanctums and workings were kept unadulterated. In fact, on physical evidence alone, I would think this was a purely Muggle matter, not a Wizarding one at all. You know, we have always thought this was too subtle for Death Eaters or the Purebloods First party. I wonder if we aren't looking at this from the wrong angle." Draco continued to stare off into space, many miles deep in his own thoughts.


	33. Dangerous Liaisons

**Chapter 32 _– Dangerous Liaisons_**

Sandy Solstein grinned at her companion, taking his hand as they crossed the narrow cobbled lane to the bistro tucked away in the back streets of Oxford. It was one of their favourite meeting places, dark, candle-lit and with soft music most of the time, discrete booths and very good food and wine. The perfect rendezvous for a romantic evening of talking and sharing. Brian Bridgewell was tall and broad, his soft London accent reminding her of home. He was a Masters Degree student studying forensic medicine and more in her age bracket than the rest of the kids who were starting their freshman year. They had met at a small soirée Professor Bartholomew Trews had arranged to introduce her to Oxford Society on Severus Snape's orders.

It had been a stuffy affair, the uncomfortable conversation of older men and women who weren't at all sure why they were there. Sandy had been equally uncomfortable, as Professor Trews had told her flatly that, if Severus Snape requested something, then anyone who had half a brain and any regard for the safety of their own skin would comply instantly. Snape had been known to torture, kill or permanently maim anyone not complying with his wishes. Driven to defend her friend's cousin, she had said no, Severus was a lovely man, and very sweet to her. To which Trews had snorted, "Perhaps if you are female, fluffy and family."

It was not an auspicious start to the evening, which went down hill from there, right up until Brian had arrived with an older woman. She was also a professor and Brian's mentor, but they were not romantically involved, which both Professor Langford and Brian made laughingly clear when Sandy refused Brian's first approach.

"Gord, Sandy, why would I want to go out with this great prat?" Margie Langford laughed, a little less sober than was usually socially acceptable. "Besides, hubby would have conniptions if I were to pull a toy-boy, probably want a little kitty-cat on the side for himself! No, no, Brian here was just kind enough to give me a lift after class. Stuart will pick me up as soon as he finishes at the office. You two go off and enjoy yourselves, not that the grog here is worth cleaning your teeth with, stingy bastard that Bartholomew. Can't think why he tossed this bash, very strange of him."

"No, I can't imagine, an old friend of the family I think, obligations and all that," Sandy mumbled in embarrassment but the woman just whacked her on the shoulder with a belly-laugh before wandering off.

"Don't mind Margie, she's a great old girl and a wonderful mentor. Still madly in love with her husband after - it must be forty - years of marriage. Go figure!" Brian smiled his endearingly lop sided smile and Sandy was smitten.

After a couple of glasses of the very ordinary wine being served at the party, both of them had slunk away to take in a band at the local pub. They'd talked the night away, finding more and more in common until, at sunrise Brian had walked her home and they had said their sleepy goodnights on her doorstep. They had agreed to meet the flowing day and had spent most of the following month in each other's company when not attending classes. They had even gone together to study in the library, something that had made them both laugh and compare themselves to a couple of school kids with finals in the offing. The relationship had grown steadily since then and both of them were getting closer; close enough to make Sandy wonder how she was ever going to tell Brian where she went on the odd weekends. Occasionally she thought she heard a hint of the magic style Latin around Brian, but she wasn't at all sure, and simply didn't know how to bring up the subject.

Once seated in the bistro, they ordered a meal and for the first time conversation did not flow freely, Brian obviously having something on his mind, too. Finally, unable to stand the tension, Sandy sighed. "Okay, what's chewing on you? You've been staring into space and biting your lip since we got here. Want to tell Aunty Sandy all about it?"

Brian smiled briefly at her cajoling tone then ducked his head. "Look, it's complicated. I-I come from a really, really strange family, okay. I… oh damn, I never had to talk to a Muggle about…."

"Muggle? You called me a Muggle?" Sandy's eyes went saucer shaped and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"No! It's not an English insult…. You're laughing? What… Sandy?"

Sandy managed to get her relief under control, as Brian grew more and more agitated. "No, sorry, no, I'm not laughing at you, I'm just so relieved! Oh, Brian, I'm a Squib, okay? I know it's nothing to brag about here in England but in Australia, it's pretty common, more common than full magicals, something about the heat and the lack of hard minerals in the soil. Are you a wizard or a Squib?"

"I'm a fully trained and certified wizard, Hogwarts graduate, actually. Oh, Merlin, and that makes…" He began to giggle as he stared at her. "What a relief! Oh, Sandy, you have no idea of how much garbage my family has been giving me about dating a Muggle. I mean, we are an old pure-blood family, but we aren't radicals or fanatics or anything nasty like that; we're not Purebloods First Party or ex-Death Eater supporters, you know. We're not the silver spoon set either, but we are very well respected in wizarding circles, members in the Ministry and we've held a seat in the general Wizengamot a time or two. My parents were even invited to an event at Malfoy Manor once, and I got to shake Lord and Lady Malfoy's hands. My father is expecting me to make an advantageous match with a girl, bringing a dowry and everything. A squib is not what he's expecting but it has to be loads better than a mere Muggle…" He broke off coughing when he realised what he was saying. "Sorry, that didn't come out quite right."

Sandy pursed her lips then smiled grimly. "No, it didn't, not at all. I would never have guessed you were such an arrant snob, Brian Bridgewell, not in a thousand years! I may not have a dowry on me at the moment but I can tell you my family has a very nice farm in Australia, not a few piddley acres you call farms here in this tin-pot country but ten thousand square miles of mixed sheep and cattle country. We don't sit in government as there are things even the lowest of the low won't do for money and no-one ever accused _us_ of being dishonourable. Oh and yes, Lord and Lady Malfoy are very gracious when they hold public charity events, but Draco and Hermione always put their friends up in the family wing guest suites." She paused to collect her thoughts. "Although I gather you think your father's reputation is rather exalted in Wizarding circles, perhaps I should tell you who the person sponsoring all this for me is." She opened her hands wide to indicate her situation, including the university. "My sponsor to this university is Lord Severus Snape, who is my cousin somewhat removed. You can tell your father that, if you like. Is that _advantageous _enough for him? See how he likes them apples!"

"Professor Snape? Of the Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry? Oh crap! Oh, Sandy! Oh, Crap!!! My father will piss in his pants! Snape was a Death Eater, you know? An inner circle Death Eater and…. Oohh _CRAP_!"

"He's also a lovely man, and my niece and nephew's guardian," Sandy said coldly, deliberately folding her napkin and gathering her things together. "I quite understand how my being a 'Muggle' might have been difficult for you; but quite frankly, I don't know if I want to meet _your_ family. They sound like a right mob of stuck up drongos and totally prejudiced over the stupidest things. Besides, maybe they aren't good enough to meet _my_ family. Tell that to your father and see how _he_ likes it." She deliberately tossed a twenty-pound note onto the table and walked out.

Gob-smacked, Brian could do nothing but stare at the door as it flapped in her wake. What had he done? What _had_ he done? Sandy was the best thing that had ever happened to him and he feared he had just killed their relationship stone dead. Now that it had come to the crunch, he found her good opinion of him was much more important than anything his father had ever said or implied about duty to his family. Surging to his feet, he tossed another twenty on the table then ran after the vanished girl, peering left and right but she had already disappeared from sight. Cursing under his breath, he sprinted in the direction of the college before finding a suitable spot to _Dissapparate_. A few seconds later he appeared into a small alcove in the curve of a building quite close to Sandy's dorm building.

The slight pop sounded much louder than usual in the quiet of the Oxford evening, loud enough to draw the attention of the couple that was walking on the other side of the road. The man muttered something to the woman and began to hurry away despite the woman's hold on his arm and stamped foot. After watching him disappear around a corner, the woman tossed her head angrily and crossed the road with a determined stride. Unsure of what to do, Brian tried to meld himself into shadows until the woman was close enough to poke him in the chest with a bony forefinger.

"I caught you, you bloody wizard! How dare you use your filthy magic in a respectable town like this! Why don't you get out of here, you perversion of humanity?" she hissed furiously.

Before Brian could do more than draw a breath, her handbag swept around and caught him in the temple with its corner. Stunned more effectively than a _Stupefy_ spell, he felt himself falling but could do nothing to save himself and his head slammed into the cobbles of the road. He could hear her muttering and cursing under her breath but could do nothing, not even open his eyes properly. There was a series of strange noises then he felt his head forced back and something hard cut into his lips. Opening his mouth to protest merely allowed a thick, disgustingly sweet liquid to flow over his tongue. There was a choice to swallow or choke, so he swallowed, spluttering a little as the flow became faster and the woman's monologue took on a triumphant note. Vaguely, he registered another voice yelling then his head was dropped to bounce off the cobbles, and he knew no more.

oo0oo

Mad as fire, Sandy marched down the footpath, arms swinging in a furious rhythm as she cursed Brian up hill and down dale. How dare he take that supercilious Pommy attitude with her! How dare he set himself up as some sort of aristocracy when she was just as well bred, really well-bred, her parents were not to be despised in their own right? Maybe they didn't have that much spare cash but they had lost of assets and land to spare. Hell, they had more running around as raw wool on the sheep's' backs than most people had in their whole lives it was just that wool was on a downturn at the moment and… Oh, what did that matter, she wasn't apologising for anything, not her parents, not her background, not her choice of lifestyle, nothing! Sure, pulling Severus out of the hat was really rather presumptuous, but she was quite sure he would play along with her; his own nature was a little intolerant of upstarts at the best of times.

Still almost foaming at the mouth, she stormed around the corner and nearly fell over the sprawled body at her feet. For a second her brain refused to process the scene before her then the crouched figure stood up and tried to push her away. Sandy snapped into focus and ducked as the woman swung her handbag at her head, raising an arm to prevent connection. Her hand tangled in the straps and they both pulled back, the woman cursing like a wharfie as the straps began to give. Sandy remembered the brief self-defence course she had taken way back in her first year of nurse's training, and kicked out at the woman. Her foot connected solidly with a meaty thigh and the woman let go of the bag to clutch her flesh, and give a strangled scream.

Sandy took a better grip on the bag and made to grab the woman, but she managed to back away and run off, hobbling as fast as she could. About to follow, she remembered the fallen man and crouched down to see if he was all right. It came as a distinct shock to see Brian's features under a spreading layer of blood. There was stickiness around his mouth and down his neck that didn't feel like blood. As Sandy leaned forward to see if she could identify it; her hand collided with something that clinked across the cobbles. It was a bottle bearing a very familiar label that screamed out at her, making the hairs at the back of her neck rise in horror. The stuff was _haunting_ her!

In a dilemma, Sandy was torn between her conventional training and the realisation that human medicine was not equipped to deal with magical maladies. If the _Sleep Tight_ was contaminated with the drug Severus and Remus had told her about then conventional medicinal treatment would simply fail to help Brian, if not kill him. If she did nothing then he would die anyway as the drug or parasite or whatever it was in the medicine would eat up his magic slowly but surely and he would die anyway. She needed magical help but how was she supposed to get it when she didn't have the smallest vestige of magic and she had never seen Brian pull a wand or have a wand on him at all. Then it struck her, the Portkeys! The folder of stamps Remus and Severus had given her a few months before were still in her bag, only five of the twelve used. Her saliva was the activating ingredient but she knew from experience that it took about twenty seconds for the thing to pull a person away. If she licked and stuck it on Brian's forehead, he would be dragged off to Rosmerta's very cosy upstairs parlour at the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta would know what to do with an ailing wizard, or at least she would have a better chance of getting the right help in as short a time as possible.

Pushing the handles of the strange woman's handbag higher up her arm, she opened her own handbag and fished out her purse. Pulling out two stamps, she giggled in dark humour as she licked and stuck the stamp on Brian's forehead, posting him off to the Three Broomsticks then did the same for herself. They arrived within seconds of each other, Sandy bolting downstairs to get the older witch as quickly as she could.

Rosmerta peered at the unconscious, bleeding man on the floor of her guest parlour and shook her head. "Severus and Remus are not here, I think they're at St Mungo's or perhaps Malfoy Manor. Look, I'll get Bibbsy to take you both through the Floo to the hospital. You do know what a house-elf is, don't you?"

"Yes, I'm familiar," Sandy assured her in relief.

It took a matter of a few moments to make the house-elf understand what as required of her, then she grasped Sandy's hand, held onto Brian's shoulder with the other hand and they were whooshed off to St Mungo's with no more fuss than that.


	34. Edges and Corners

**Chapter 33 - _Edges and Corners_**

St Mungo's was chaotic, as bad if not worse than the emergency department of any major hospital. The house-elf, Bibbsy, deposited Sandy and Brian in the front foyer then disappeared with a distinct pop before Sandy could stop her. Left to her own devices with an unconscious man on her hands, she looked around wildly, and then hurried over to the desk where a harried Medi-witch was trying to listen to three people at once.

"Look, just levitate him over to the gurneys in the far corner and you'll be seen as soon as possible, okay!" the woman snapped before turning back to the couple with the small baby in their arms.

Feeling totally inadequate, Sandy hurried back to Brian's side and bent to slide her arms under his broad shoulders and drag him out of the way. A small girl with a curly blonde ponytail wandered across to watch what she was doing.

"Mummy, that lady is silly!" The brat giggled as Sandy panted and struggled.

"Do you need a little help, dear," the girl's mother said in saccharine tones usually used to speak to the mentally deficient after she had hushed her daughter. "Only it would be much easier with a little magic."

"If I had some magic, I would be quite happy to use it but as it is, Brian here is the magical one and I am the muscle." Sandy blew an errant strand of hair out of her face in exasperation.

The flick of a wand sent the unconscious man up onto the gurney and Sandy puffed her thanks as she settled in for a long wait. Finally a young Medi-wizard appeared and began to work over Brian with harried, hasty movements.

"He needs to be seen by someone who can deal with possible _Direstium_ poisoning," Sandy told the man, holding out the bottle she had found beside Brian.

"He has a nasty bang on the head and possibly a depressed fracture of the skull but nothing a few charms won't fix. If he has to get himself hopped up on that filthy stuff…."

"No!" She cut him off at the pass. "He was forced to drink it by some mad woman in Oxford, after she coshed him."

"Look sweetie, I haven't time for hysterics now. Do you want me to treat him or would you rather take him off to Guy's, the Muggle place near here? Now just sit down and stay out of the way of more impor…." The Medi-wizard loomed over her threateningly then turned away muttering, 'bloody squibs and Muggles!'

For a second Sandy was speechless then fury made her grind her teeth together. "How dare you speak to me like that you arrogant piece of shit! It is a medic's duty to treat his patients with all due diligence and courtesy, at which you have obviously failed abysmally!"

He spun around on a heel. "Just who do you think you are, you…."

"She thinks she is my niece." Cold, velvet smooth and utterly terrifying, Severus Snape loomed up behind Sandy, his billowing cloak seeming to enfold her as he approached. "I believe we have had words about respect and attention to detail before, young man. Do we really have to rehash old ground?"

"But, Sir, she's just a…."

"Remind me of your name."

"Scott Robson," he supplied sullenly.

"Ah yes. Go away. So, Sandy, Rosmerta sent me an owl with the bare facts. What happened?" He listened without comment until she had finished and presented the bottle to him as if it was a live snake. "Hmm _Acclaro Direstium est_. He's very definitely contaminated. Well done, my girl, well spotted. Let's get him up to the special ward."

"Sir, you can't just…."

"Oh, are you still here? Make yourself useful and Floo Doctor Halverson's team. Tell them I am bringing in a casualty." Arrogance in every line, Snape placed a hand on the gurney and a hand on the girl and _Dissapparated_.

oo0oo

Robes cast aside, shirtsleeves rolled up; Draco was hard at work running the Malfoy Empire. Many people saw him as simply a spoilt, pure-blood figurehead for the huge multi-layered conglomerate his family had built over the years but he was much more. Although he allowed his CEOs autonomy to run whichever branch or department he assigned to them, they were very well aware that his was the final decision and to him they answered if things went pear-shaped. It had been a hard slog for him and Hermione to salvage something of the Malfoy holdings at the end of the SVW. The Ministry had tried to make punitive demands on his vaults and holdings, tried to confiscate everything he had; but his father, although as mad as a Voldie follower could get, had actually made some pretty legal roof arrangements to protect the Malfoy name and businesses. A lot of his holdings had been transferred overseas and the English holdings were all set up as sub-branches of companies as far flung as South America and Asia. They had traded heavily in Hermione's reputation as the 'Gryffindor Lioness' and a third of the Golden Trio to keep the legal claws out of the works and the Aurors out of Malfoy Manor. It had taken a lot of time and hard work but they had managed. Most of the Malfoy conglomerate had been saved and, with judicious tweaking and hefty donations to the right sort of charities, they had begun to flourish once again but this time their reputation was spotless.

Today, he was investigating what appeared to be some very bad judgement calls by one of his senior staff involved in the shipping and handling side of the empire. Reading through the documentation, he wondered if the man had taken leave of his senses or had he been hit by an _Imperio_ curse, he was so far off the company line. This was just the sort of deviation that gave the company a bad name, the sort of trick his Father used all the time. When a ship came in with rainforest woods from Borneo, it had better be certified hardwoods that were stamped with the Malfoy Tree Grower's stamp. Any rubber had better have been milked from Malfoy subsidiary trees and graded by Malfoy approved agencies before it was even loaded onto Malfoy owned and registered boats. Somehow, Mr Jeremiah Bottomley seemed to have failed to grasp that simple, undeniable and immovable stricture on every employee in the reformed Malfoy Conglomerate. If it wasn't grown, built, mined or harvested by Malfoy, it wasn't certified or shipped by Malfoy and it certainly wasn't brought into Malfoy wharves in Malfoy ships. So, if Mr Bottomley couldn't understand the grading, or make the grade, then he would be culled! Fortunately, for Mr Bottomley, that no longer involved an _Avada Kedavra_ as it had in his father's time. Rubbing his eyes he was about to ring for coffee when his PA put his head around the door and coughed discretely.

"There is a delegation from the European Wizarding Community to see you, Sir. They do not appear to have an appointment."

Decoded, Draco understood that Trent felt it might be too important for him to deal with or to turn aside and sighed. "Let them in and bring us some coffee as quick as you can, thank you, Trent." He rubbed his eyes again, moving off to the conversational grouping of sofas at the far side of the office. He made sure his wand was in easy reach and that the protection charms were at full strength. As a precaution he activated the translation charm on the coffee table near the sofa in the informal seating. All the while, his mind was selecting and discarding scenarios where European wizards might see the need to call upon him officially. His trade agreements and trading practices were above reproach, except for bloody Bottomley; but that would be rectified in a few moments. All his European subsidiaries were humming along cheerfully with never a complaint to their files and his Asian affiliates were more than sensible enough not to infringe on any European concerns and cause trouble that way. Unable to think of a single thing that would cause a personal visit, he cleared his mind and took his place before they were shown in.

The delegation consisted of eight people, six obviously powerfully built bodyguards who carefully positioned themselves unobtrusively to protect their superiors. The last two gentlemen took the seats Draco offered on the sofa at the far side of his office. Draco made sure he took the armchair that was carefully placed to give the maximum of protection to the office's incumbent. As he sat down, various protections charms were activated unobtrusively to counteract assassination. It was a hold-over from his father's tenure but one he had not found necessary to disable.

"Gentlemen, may I offer you coffee or perhaps something stronger?"

The man on the right huffed impatiently but the fellow on the left accepted graciously, determined to be as civilised as their host. Smiling blandly, Draco played the pure-bred aristocrat to the hilt, hoping to force the delegation into revealing their hand too soon. Unfortunately the delegation's leader was well versed in the intricacies of purebred manoeuvrings and was not caught out. Finally, once all the conventions had been served, the leader of the delegation, Senor Maurice Martinez y Bravo, put down his cup as a signal to start the serious business.

"Senor Malfoy, it has come to our attention that you are interested in _Direstium_ and also perhaps the trade in this commodity, yes?"

"Oh yes, very interested," Draco confirmed blandly.

The second man almost went for his wand at that point, making Draco's smile widen and show shark teeth. He concluded the man was some sort of law enforcement and the guards were probably either Unspeakables or non-uniform Aurors. The plot thickened!

There were a few subtle signs from the delegation leader which leashed the Auror then Senor Bravo smiled again, more predatory this time. "Ah. Your honesty is refreshing," he said over steepled fingers, mimicking Draco's gesture almost unconsciously. "It is a very lucrative enterprise."

The spell woven into the headrest of the wingchair that usually connected him directly to Trent, his secretary, who could feed him information in a second had been countered by the delegation's bafflement charms but Draco had expected nothing less. To counteract such moves by anyone he met with, he had invested in a tiny Muggle transceiver that sat just inside his ear and was connected directly to his PA's mike. Getting such a device to work in the magic heavy headquarters of his firm had taken a lot of time, money and spells but the investment was well worth it. It murmured in his ear as Trent uncovered more information on the delegation and fed it to him immediately. Weighing the facts now at his disposal, Draco decided to take a small gamble, knowing the _Obliviate_ charms on the room would resolve the problem if he chose wrong.

"No it's not, the price is far greater than any casual investor could possibly imagine," Draco countered, testing the waters and receiving some interesting feedback from the charms in the room. "Injecting or ingesting live _Direstium_ is tantamount to suicide for any wizard foolish enough to become entangled in its coils."

"Do you think so?" the second man asked, eyes narrowing. "Then why are you buying into the trade?"

"If I own it then I control it, why else? Anything that wears the Malfoy stamp needs my approval to move or even exist. And you are? You never were introduced, you know?"

"Not important! Do you brazenly admit that you plan to control the…?" he began accusingly but was stopped by a raised hand.

"Oh, I believe it is important, Inspector Dumonde, very important. More especially if you really do want my cooperation in removing this threat to the wizarding world." Draco smiled blandly at the two men, totally ignoring the guards' hands creeping toward their wands. The muscle moved uneasily as their superiors became edgy. "I really wouldn't do that, if I were your men. This room is solely focussed on keeping me safe; a gift from my father, so generous of him. Any hostile moves and the inherent magic will be activated, and you really wouldn't like to experience it, believe me. So, gentlemen, shall we have a little honest speaking between these four walls?"

Dumonde glared, but Senor Bravo smiled and nodded. "Perhaps it would be enlightening after all. We did have a hint from your, er, godfather? Senor Snape is known to us and when he was in our country a couple of weeks ago, he made a remarkable statement to a member of our press who is also a member of our secret services. The memory charms he used were rather hard to remove but the information they were protecting was well worth the effort of retrieval. Using his hints and many other resources we have tracked down the supply of _Direstium_ and shut down the majority of the European infrastructure. We raided two chemical plants, one in Germany and one in Spain and confiscated both the raw _Direstium_ and the manufacturing plants. It was quite a large and very well run enterprise, lots of money invested and the returns, if they could have stepped up to full production, would have made their initial investment seem like fwooper feed. We _Obliviated_ the workers as well as the producers, removing any trace of knowledge relating to the manufacture and dispersal of _Direstium_. We have also been tracking the cartel that was supplying the dealers, right down to street level. When we came across your name in the records of a rather shadowy group of businessmen we wondered at your involvement. Investigations showed that wherever the Malfoy money had been spent, the company became more profitable and any connection it had to _Direstium_ production was suppressed or almost surgically removed with very selective _Obliviate_ charms. We were curious to know why?"

Draco carefully poured more coffee for himself and his guests while the tiny Muggle transceiver in his ear sent him a running commentary on the man's words. Trent was very good, tying all the loose ends together and presenting a concise and accurate summation of all the information that passed his desk. He was much more than Draco's PA but his secondary function was unknown to everyone except Draco. "That is indeed, interesting. Very well, here is my contribution to the solution. No Malfoy owned plant will ever produce _Direstium_ with my knowledge, ever! Any plant of mine found to be producing the filthy substance will be shut down and the workers _Obliviated_. You may have a Wizard's Promise on that. My PA will write it up and I will sign it in Good Faith as Head of Family."

All eight men were not quite able to suppress their reactions to that but Dumonde was not entirely convinced. "What's the catch?" he asked harshly.

"The catch is you will make sure no _Direstium_ ever gets into Britain from the continent. If it does then I _will_ find out and hold your EWC entirely responsible for it; and I have the means of extracting payment, I do assure you. Once the European connection is taken out of the equation we can shut down the British manufacturers, which we are moving in on right now. Trent will give you a full report on how the British faction circumvented the need for a rather expensive and extensive manufacturing plant so you will know what to look out for, if anyone decides to set up a backyard operation again."

"How close are you to shutting down the British side of the channel? We really don't want your stuff penetrating Europe just when we have managed to clean it up, you know?" Dumonde muttered ungraciously.

"The factory was dismantled yesterday evening and the workers _Obliviated_. We hope to catch the minds behind the operations by the end of the week," Draco murmured softly as Trent came in and offered the gentlemen a folder each, containing the gist of the report on the raid and how the warehouse had been set up.

Both men read swiftly then shook their heads, Dumonde looking very sick as he met Malfoy's eyes. "It's so clever, very clever and diabolically easy to hide. Breed it in a wizard's body then drain their blood and use the residual to feed back into the wizard to make more blood and more importantly more _Direstium_, its positively fiendish! If word of this gets out then you'll never close it down."

"Ah yes, but the trick is to contain the infection, get all the minds behind the scheme, find out why they were scheming in the first place then give them what they want."

"The annihilation of all the British wizards?" Bravo said appalled.

"_Is_ that what they want? Or perhaps I should restate it as that is what they _think_ they want but I'm sure they can be persuaded to change their minds, or perhaps forget all about it in the future. Just in case we don't get all of them, we are also working on a dead form of _Direstium_ which has no side affects but can be given safely to children to ensure they are never affected by the live form again."

"You are working on a vaccination against _Direstium_ infection? That would indeed be a breakthrough, and is it true that Potions Master Snape has created a cure for the poisoning?"

"Yes, that is very true. Malfoy Europe will be producing it in sufficient quantity to provide a ready supply for use in all hospitals and clinics across the globe."

"At what price?" Dumonde asked cynically.

"All the traffic will bear of course, except to the Muggle and Wizarding free clinics." Draco smiled shark-like at his visitors who understood his meaning perfectly. "It is our hope that all children, Muggle and Wizard, will be vaccinated against it along with the usual jabs that all children have to endure."

"And you would do that, virtually free of charge, and with a minimum of fanfare and ceremony? This does not sound like a Malfoy backed scheme at all," Inspector Dumonde said harshly, his expression completely sceptical.

"My wife is the philanthropist, she decides which charities and causes we will support, how we will support them and what details need to be made public knowledge or hidden against a greater good of wizarding society. As she so carefully pointed out; if word that a magical disease could affect the general population was ever to reach Muggle ears the repercussions would make the last five rises of Dark lords look like children's squabbles in a school yard. And she is a Muggle-born so she ought to know."

"Very well, Lord Malfoy, we will accept your written word as a Wizard's Promise and we will hold you to it," Senor Bravo said gravely, offering his hand and Draco took it without reservation.


	35. Filling in the Sky

**Chapter 34 - _Filling in the Sky_**

Vincent McIntyre rose and greeted his guest at the Gentleman's Club with a hearty handshake. "It's so nice to see you again, Gilbert, old man. So glad you could make it, knowing how busy you are these days. Read that article you had published in the Potions Digest, most interesting, most thought provoking; caused quite a heated discussion at work, let me tell you. Really woke up the chaps and shook up their complacency. Well done, old chap, well done! And how is little Jeanette doing these days? Not so little now, is she, must be twenty eight or twenty nine by now. I haven't seen her for oh, must be two years by now," he chattered, seating the man in the deep armchair and signalling a passing waiter to bring a pre-dinner drink for both of them

Gilbert Nelson shook his old friend and mentor's hand and settled back gratefully into the deep leather comfort, enjoying the sheer luxury of their surroundings. It wasn't often he was invited to this sort of exclusive venue, didn't know the right people to be proposed as a member and even if he did, he didn't have the sort of money it took to keep up a membership subscription. Still, it was nice to visit every now and again and old Vincent did turn on the most splendid dinners.

"Jeanette is fine, married now and with a baby on the way. Married a chap from the Americas, odd sort of bloke but likeable. He has some funny ideas on the way things should work and how they do work but he thinks the sun shines out of Jeanette, which is all that counts, I suppose. They moved off to Indiana or some such place, said they wanted a fresh start and all that, away from the, um, petty politics and stupid prejudice of the old world. Can't say I blame them really, not that I understand half of what they say any more." He shook his head sadly and sipped his sherry aperitif in appreciation.

"Oh yes, no accounting for the children and their ideas. Still, I'm sure our parents said the same thing about us and our ideas, what?" They both chuckled reminiscently. "My lot are thriving, five grandkids now, two of whom are already at Hogwarts. I have three in the wings and one of them already showing magic. I wondered when my son married into a Muggle family but it all worked out well in the long run, once the shock had worn off." Vincent smiled resignedly then noticed his guest was looking a little uncomfortable. Sighing, he changed the subject. "So, I heard you took a job at Brimmers Pharmaceuticals? Good job?"

Nelson accepted a second glass of sherry the waiter handed him and took a sip of the dry wine before nodding. "Reasonable. Had to make a few adjustments at first of course, wizard in a Muggle company, you know how that works? I believe your lot are a mixed bunch too? Thought so. But I'm well established as a vaguely eccentric genius and no one except the supervisor bothers to question what I do these days."

"Yes, wonderful what a little bit of Wizarding potions genius can achieve," Vincent agreed, careful not to sound too eager or interested. "Do you remember Consuela leToya? Well guess who is working for me now? She's a starchy old tartar but brilliant! Logan's is wonderful for catering to the eccentric types both Muggle and Magical and we do produce some very nice breakthroughs. Did you read Potions International last month? Got ourselves written up as 'most innovative', although I don't like to brag."

"Yes, you do," Gilbert teased and both men laughed. "Brimmers is not a research facility but we do some solid work in the mass production of potions for the wider market which is an art in itself."

The meal was superb as always and the conversation interesting as they discussed their mutual passion. Soup saw the latest advances in the refinement of Skele-gro and its application in spinal repairs dissected and discussed to death. Salmon soufflé and the rising price of Augury feathers versus demiguise hair went down very nicely. Beef Wellington and the dissection of Dragons for effective potions conservation came next, each course accompanied by exquisitely prepared side dishes and a perfect wine accompaniment. By the time the port and cheese was laid on the table they were both feeling very mellow. Studying the deep ruby liquid in his glass, Gilbert sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I have had a wonderful time, Vincent, all this shop talk with someone as knowledgeable and as well read as you is very stimulating to the professional juices as well as the appetite but now I suppose I have to pay the piper. What deep dark secret do I have that you need to find out?"

McIntyre had the courtesy to look uncomfortable. "Sorry to be so obvious but there is a very real threat to the wizarding world that we need to address and I was hoping that you could shed some light on it."

"Me? I deal mainly with Muggles and their potions these days, although we do get a few magical ingredients to react favourably with our production line medicines," Gilbert was moved to remark, cocking his head in an attitude of interest.

"That is what makes you the ideal candidate for this, of course, the fact that you are already there at the coalface, so to speak. Ever heard of the Muggle baby medicine _Sleep Tight_? Yes, I know Brimmers is pretty much responsible for the total output of the stuff, which is why you are here. Have you ever noticed anything unusual happening during the manufacturing of the stuff? Has there been anyone sneaking around or tampering with the process? Have you heard or seen anything suspicious that might lead you to suspect that some wizarding group of fanatics like, say, the Death Eaters, are trying to sabotage the medicine before it even gets to the distribution stage?"

"Good Merlin, no! The whole process is totally automated from mixing the initial ingredients to stirring it up, bringing in the sterile bottles, pouring the liquid intot he bottles, capping them, labelling them and even dropping theminto cartons that are automatically sealed and stacked ready for shipping. Tankers deliver the bulk product, the bottles are blown in another area of the factory, everything is done without the handoff man interfering, literally push the button and off it goes. The lines are all hermetically sealed and all that rot, for hygiene sake. In fact, the only time the liquid even sees the air is when it is dropped into the bottles and that is even done in an air pressurised booth so that nothing can get in accidentally. What are you getting at, old boy? Do you suspect someone is sabotaging our product? If there is such a thing happening, I would need to know how it was possible, every inch of the factory floor is monitored both by electronics and by humans. We have Quality control officers hovering around al the time, clipboards at the ready to document any little tiny slip in the process and any fault or failure is instantly attended to by a veritable army of maintenance men and cleaning personnel." The man was genuinely horrified and Vincent felt justified in taking him into his confidence. After all, he was wizard born, although not pure-blood in the traditional sense, and he had Muggle family ties too.

Nelson heard him out in growing outrage, his moustaches quivering indignantly as the story unfolded. "That's terrible! My God, those poor little girls, to be badly used so! Look, how about you come out to the factory with me tomorrow morning and we can have a look around; see if we can spot anything out of place. If word of this ever got out, our reputation could be destroyed."

"Sounds like a fine idea, do a reccy, have a bit of a look-see? Splendid idea! What time shall we meet up?"

Arrangements were made for the following morning at nine am and both men went their separate ways feeling very pleased with themselves.

As a matter of course, Vincent sent off an owl to Snape to tell him of the recent developments and his appointment in the morning.

oo0oo

Sandy collapsed on the chair by Brian's bed and groaned as her bones settled. Severus looked down at her with a distinct smirk, then crossed his arms and studied the young wizard on the bed. "Nice piece of work, good use of your head and your common sense." he commented, indicating the prone form with his chin. "If not for your swift and concise action, he might very well have ended up a squib as the infection ate his magic. I hope he is fully cognisant of your efforts and fully appreciates your resourcefulness."

"Thanks! He's lucky though, I was ready to kill him and his supercilious father just before it happened. Oh, we had words about whose family was better and who was less well bred. I stormed out of the restaurant and he came after me but I ducked through a park to avoid him. I…." She squirmed uncomfortably when she realised Snape's black gaze was trained on her. "Oh well, you had better know the whole thing. I got the shits when he started on this Muggle versus Wizard business and how his family would prefer he made a better match… That he marry some snotty breeding cow who came with a dowry and a pedigree stating the last four generations and any breeding defects she might have, like ego so big you could trip over it! So I sort of implied you and Remus were my family, and his snotty little group of snobs probably weren't in any way good enough for us to even wipe our feet on." She paused when Severus sniggered, letting out a relieved breath. "Sorry about that. Are you angry?"

"Not at all," Severus assured her cordially. "Bridgewell? I think I was at school with his younger aunt, a Hufflepuff, I believe, and his father would have been in seventh when I was in first. I believe I taught Brian too, horrible at potions but rather good at dissecting them and breaking them down to their component ingredients. Family Bridgewell is partially old pure-blood stock but a lot of the branches are actually half-bloods and Muggle-borns. I do believe there was some scandal involving one of the earlier Bridgewells buying a pedigree from a distant cousin who had fallen on hard times to gain some sort of respectability but that was not confirmed. They also held some minor functionary seat in the Wizengamot, last bearer of the Mugwump's Shoe Scraper or something equally stupid, certainly not something to write the Daily Prophet about." Severus, glanced back down from the ceiling in time to meet the girl's incredulous gaze. "What?"

"Do you remember everyone you ever meet, _and_ their pedigree?" Sandy asked incredulously.

"Pretty much, it is all part of the Family heir training, so that we know to the finest degree how to greet people and not embarrass ourselves or our Family. Oh, its not so important now, thank Merlin, but there was a time when a slight from a child could cause a feud that could last for generations and cause the destruction of whole families. You just have to look at the stupidity of the Malfoy versus Weasley feud. By the time Ron and Draco got to school neither had the foggiest what started it but neither did they have any idea on how to stop it. It could have destroyed both boys but larger considerations intervened. Perhaps the one good thing that came from the Dark Lord's rise to power and eventual defeat," Severus mused distractedly then grinned fiendishly. "So, you used my name as an intimidation tool. Did it work?"

"Perfectly."

They shared a chuckle then Sandy clicked her fingers. "Listen, I managed to grab that woman's handbag. Nearly tore my arms off mind, but here it is."

The black handbag was square, ugly and large, the corners bound in brass, one slightly ragged and still bloodstained to show where it had ripped Brian's scalp open. Sandy had no qualms about upending the large receptacle on the foot of Brian's bed. The usual handbag detritus went bouncing across the counterpane; a comb, lipstick, receipts, scraps of paper and odds and ends everywhere. More importantly, a thick heavy diary and a bulky purse also fell out with a plop. Severus picked up the diary while Sandy opened the purse and extracted both a driver's license and a library card. "We have both her name and address. Her name is Rosemary Killmonte and she lives in Wickham, in one of the council estates."

"Hmm, even more important, she has a meeting of the Decency League for the Removal of Magic set up for tomorrow night in Potten End, barely a kilometre from the factory. Let us see what else she has been up to. Ah! '_Arrange for an accident when picking up the girls, get M to memory charm aunt and uncle_.' By the date, I think this was when the Anderson girls were taken. Odd, she doesn't say any more about the accident. I believe young Weasley will be most interested in this. Well done girl, you are a credit to the, er, family."

Sandy laughed at his expression, knowing he was only teasing her but to Brian who was only just waking up from the multitude of bone repair charms and potions, and swelling reduction spells, the older man looked horribly intimidating. "Thanks, Severus, that does mean a lot, you know?" Sandy chuckled then felt Brian's hand in hers. "Oh, you're awake then?"

"Yes, sort of. I'm sorry Sandy, I was…"

"Rude and insensitive," Severus supplied superciliously. "You may inform your parent that if, and only if, my cousin decides to pursue this relationship past a casual level then I will consider a meeting to discuss expectations. _My_ expectations, that is."

Brian gulped and did his best to hide the shiver racing up his spine as the older man glared down on him. Sandy squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm glad you are awake at last. The Medi-wizard said there should be few lasting affects and most of them will be worn off by next Tuesday. It's pretty late now so we had better go and let you get some rest now. I'll send an owl to your parents telling them what has happened, so don't worry too much, that's all in hand? I'll see you tomorrow, okay? If you'll fix me a Portkey, please, Severus?"

"Remus will bring you in tomorrow, he could use a break from his infernal research," Severus said casually, watching as the girl gathered up the odds and ends from the handbag and stuff it all back inside. "Let us go and annoy Weasley. He's an Auror, he should be used to being disturebed in the middle of the night, it's good for him," Severus assured her with a wicked smirk. "Then I'll take you to Lady Hermione at Malfoy Manor and she can make a fuss of you. She is spoiling Angelinus totally just now. The child almost refused to sit still at table, so much for manners!" Taking the girl's shoulder in one long, thin, hand, Severus Dispparated, leaving a confused and rather apprehensive prospective suitor behind to worry on the suitability of his interest for the rest of the night. Family Snape was well above his level of society and his father would be utterly delighted in the connection, if they could meet the Snape Family standards, that was.


	36. Cooperation

**Chapter 35 - _Cooperation_**

Occasionally, very occasionally when the wizarding and the Muggle world were affected by the same things, the Minister for Magic and the Muggle Prime Minister would join forces. Today was one such occasion. A special unit of the London Counter-Terrorist Group had joined the crack team of Aurors Ron had put together, khaki uniforms mixing with blood red robes to make a strange mix as they milled uncertainly in the briefing hall. The Senior Detective Inspector looked a trifle self-conscious as he made his way to where Ron was leaning against the wall.

"John Parkhurst," he introduced himself, holding out a hand.

"Ron Weasley," Ron replied in the same no-nonsense tone, shaking the hand carefully. "Have your lot been briefed on the situation?"

Parkhurst shook his head. "I was told to get the lads in here for nine am for a briefing by a mission specialist. I have no idea of who you are or where you came from but the order came down from the PM's own hand and that makes it almost law."

"Yes, our Minister of Magic is a bit that way inclined also," Ron replied dryly and both men grinned. "So! How about we get everyone seated and get this show on the road. Er, you do know about magic, don't you?"

Parkhurst shot him and old fashioned look and shook his head with a snigger. "Not so you'd notice."

"Oh dear, that is going to make things a little awkward."

The briefing began simply enough, the redhead in the red uniform giving a clear and concise summation of the situation as they knew it. The introduction was plain enough; a recap of the group they were dealing with called the Decency League for the Removal of Magic of all things, not your normal group of terrorists. The Inspector, as he was titled, gave compliments to various people as they all studied the floor plan of the building pinned to the wall. A number of the group seemed to light up from inside at the praise, which was odd. It only got really weird when Inspector Weasley pulled out a stick and began sketching in midair, a three dimensional representation of the area appearing as he spoke. Most of the anti-terrorist squad thought the pointer was a new type of laser drawing tool but Parkhurst couldn't see the computer it would be hooked up to.

"Right, DI Parkhurst's people, I want you to come in from the east, west and south sides. How do you want them to proceed, Parkhurst? You know your people best."

"Erm, right," John rose and prodded the model, his hand going right through it. Weasley didn't offer him the pointer which was rather bad manners, to say the least. "We already have three teams so each team knows how the other members operate. They are a well trained bunch and know to disable many different types of alarms. They are trained in armed and unarmed combat and should be able to take out any guards they run into. Once inside the building, they will need to know where to go and what their objectives are. If this is just another terrorist group then we shouldn't really expect too much trouble beyond the initial assault."

"That's fair enough. I'll also put one each of my people in with yours to cover them if there are any charms, spells or hexes to deal with. Mind you, everything we have met so far is just schoolboy stuff so it's not likely it will get worse, but you never know, do you? We have the rest of the day to train together and work out the best _modus operandi_ for the operation, so to speak. We don't expect a high level of magic but there has been some evidence to suggest there are at least two low level wizards or witches amongst them. My lot on the north side will be going in through the wall as there doesn't appear to be any entrances on that side. Longatti there is very good with brick dissolving charms and hexes so he will lead the assault. Morrisette, Jones and McDonald, you go with the Muggle teams. Our people will be casting camouflage charms over your teams, Parkhurst, so it might be best if we practice as I don't want any miscues or stray hexes. I've assigned five broomstick patrol Aurors to give us air cover so if anyone tries to take off from the roof they won't get far."

The Muggles were looking utterly disgusted and unimpressed, Parkhurst almost puce with indignation. "Right! That's enough, we are supposed to be here to take out a terrorist group and you lot are arsing about! Is this a joke to you?"

"Oh, good grief no, we're most serious! This terrorist group has murdered at least twenty people that we can calculate, possibly more, and have destroyed the magic of untold innocents, poisoned medicines meant for children and are dead set on the genocide of the wizarding world. Believe me, this is no joke!" Ron said harshly. "Look, put your disbelief into storage for a while and watch the exercise before you make any judgements, okay? I suggest we split up into the operational groups and go out to the training grounds for a session in the arena. We have a mock-up of the target house ready with a few extra surprises and traps to keep us all on our toes. If you are ready to go, DI Parkhurst?"

"Ready for what?" Parkhurst asked as his people split into their teams and one each of the red uniformed people broke off to join them. His mouth dropped open and he gaped as the tall black guy pulled out a piece of board and asked all of West group to put their hands on it like a sort of kid's game. As soon as they were all touching, the whole lot winked out, vanished, disappeared, gone! "What? What happened to them? Where did they go?" He gaped like a fish out of water as the South and East teams vanished just as quickly and with even less noise.

Ron coughed depreciatingly. "Portkeys, they are handy for moving large numbers of people who can't apparate. Look, I told you there was magic involved in this operation and for obvious reasons; your people had to know about it. Usually our two worlds stay as far apart as we can keep them simply because you Muggles have some very inflated ideas of what we can and can't do, what we want and don't want to achieve. Because of the nature and objectives of the group we are trying to take out, we had to have your cooperation and our Ministers, who are quite used to dealing with each other, decided just this once it wouldn't hurt for our two forces to cooperate fully in this endeavour. So, can you just trust us for a few hours, put your disbelief on hold and see what happens when our two lots of technology work together for the common good?"

Parkhurst closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Very well, let's give it a shot. Er, you won't start pulling rabbits out of hats or anything, will you?"

"Huh? No, no, it was my twin brothers who started Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes, not me. I'm the sensible one." Ron grinned crookedly at his odd expression and held out a piece of brick. Parkhurst grabbed it and had his first experience at Portkeying.

oo0oo

As the Muggle anti-terrorist squad were being shown the magical ropes at the training arena, Vincent McIntyre finished a hearty breakfast and popped into his office for a few moments before going out to the Brimmers factory. leToya buttonholed him in the labs demanding to know where he thought he was going this bright summer's morning. After hmming and harring Vincent told her about dinner the night before and Gilbert's invitation.

"Really? Well, that was good of him," the old witch said blandly, eyes shrewd and speculative. "Be sure to observe everything, even the smallest details, won't you?" she reminded him, brushing a stray piece of fluff off his shoulder and straightening his tie. "Don't do anything silly, will you?"

"Now, Consuela, I'm just going to look. Gilbert is wizardborn and has Muggle-born grandkids, too, you know? His grandchildren would be just as much at risk as any of my family if someone is destroying Muggle-born magicals."

"True," she conceded, stepping back and allowing him to Apparate unhindered. Stepping into her own lab, she half filled a bowl with water and settled back to watch and record his visit to Brimmers through the scrying spell she had cast on his tie and shoulder. She had her own version of a remember-crystal that was just as efficient as the official version and a lot stealthier.

Unaware of the obscure spell, Vincent greeted Gilbert in his office and accepted the visitor's badge he was handed. The two men then strolled side by side into the huge automated factory that housed the manufacturing side of Brimmers Pharmaceuticals. If Vincent wasn't sure of what he was seeing, leToya was even more lost as conveyors and heavy duty pipes ran like draped spaghetti over the area. Huge vats of chemicals and silver cylinders of pressure vessels crowded cheek-in-jowl with catwalks and monitoring stations. The crowding and constant movement made it hard to get an impression of where the walls began and how big the area really was. There were very few people around and all looked the same as they hurried to their work, white coats, white hairnets and white rubber boots that squeaked occasionally on the metal grid-work Floors.

Gilbert was an informative guide, pointing and explaining the operations as they penetrated deeper and deeper into the maze of bottle conveyors, dangling chains and capping lines, pill hoppers and vibrating counting belts. Vincent was very pleased to have the headset and earplugs Gilbert had given him as the noise was quite horrendous, rattling, banging, hissing and clanking. He pointed to a large silver vat with the Sleep Tight label printed on the side on a much bigger scale than they were used to seeing on the bottles. "Is that the one?" he screamed over the row of the nearby bottle conveyor.

"Yep, that's the syrup mixing vat in question. The main syrup is stored in that vat while the active ingredients are fed in through this mixing point here, from that row of smaller storage tanks over there." He patted a console with a number of dials and buttons on its surface before waving vaguely off to the left. "If we need to introduce anything extra, it is injected in through this lock here, using this valve and is usually introduced directly into the syrup as it flows out here. The tubes then take the mixture off over there to the bottling plant to be bottled, capped and labelled for packing and shipping."

"And how often is something introduced to the syrup?" Vincent asked, turning to face the man and nearly skewering his left nostril on the tip of his wand. "Oh," he said flatly as he straightened.

"Once a week I test the syrup for quality control and introduce the week's production of _Direstium_ to the batch, usually at a rate of one litre per hundred thousand. That's the joy, you see? It doesn't take much to make a breeding colony and once established, it does its work quietly, destroys all vestiges of the magic then dies off when there is nothing left to feed on. Clean, safe and painless."

"Why are you doing it, Gilbert? Why are you killing so many of our kind?"

"Our kind? Our _kind_ is a complete aberration, a mutation that is wrong and dangerous. You are always keen to ask about my daughter but did you ever wonder what happened to my wife? Did you ever think what happened to people who tried to ignore that madman? They caught her at home by herself and they tore her to pieces, eventually. They charmed her so that she could not die, could not stop screaming and could not lose consciousness. Then they ripped the skin off her and raped her, cut off her limbs and eviscerated her. There was blood on every surface in the living room, including the ceiling, when they had finished and just to make sure I got the message, they carved it into her flayed hide and pinned it to the wall so I couldn't miss it! I walked in and found her like that and I had to release her from the torment as they left her charmed alive. And why? It was simply because she was a Muggle and was helpless to resist them. You've heard the saying that '_power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'_. Why take the chance, why not nip that power in the bud so it never gets to threaten innocent lives again. You've seen them, those so called pure-bloods with their high and mighty ways and infinitely superior attitude, just waiting to take over the world and make it kowtow to their every whim. Bastards are so much better than us they can't even unbend enough to see what is right under their noses but I'll make sure they are totally annihilated forever! Never again will one of those bastards rise to enough power to try and destroy the humans in this world. Never!"

Vincent shook his head and sighed. "Gilbert, surely you can see that it's wrong to poison innocent children. It is also wrong to kidnap and poison schoolgirls and schoolboys to make more of the filthy substance?"

"It cures them! It cures them of magic so they can go back and lead normal, productive lives in the real world instead of being forced to skulk in the shadows of Diagon Ally. Enough! Enough of your prattle! I'm sorry about this, Vincent, but I really can't afford to let one man get in the way of the great work. _Stupefy_!"

leToya slumped back from the bowl and gasped in horror as her old friend was levitated up and dropped into the vat of thick syrup. Still under the _Stupefy_ charm, he sank through the thick liquid slowly enough to know exactly how long it would take him to drown in it. Horrified, leToya grabbed her wand and Disapparate, Apparating into the factory in a small space behind the syrup tank. She prayed Gilbert had not heard the pop then realised that the tremendous noise would cover her movements as she cast _levo_ over her unseen colleague and hauled him out of the pink goo. She could still see Gilbert leaning over the mixing console as Vincent began to emerge from the vat, spluttering and coughing as he came up. leToya winced and put more power into the spell as Gilbert straightened, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. While the noise hid her activities, Vincent's spluttering had splattered his would be killer with syrup drops. He looked up, saw the pink coated body emerging and flung around wildly, looking for the source of the spell.

Gritting her teeth and sending out a silent apology, leToya dropped her boss and friend back into the goo and yelled _Expelliarmus_, managing to duck the wand that flew at her head. She hadn't meant to put quite so much effort into it and ducked reflexively. Gilbert took advantage of her distraction to fling himself forward but leToya was quicker, stunning him as he launched. He hit the side of the vat with a mighty clang and lay still.

Panting hard, the old woman recast _levo_ and pulled Vincent out of the vat, bringing him down to the floor as quickly and as efficiently as she could. He was not breathing this time, his mouth hanging slackly. Worried, the woman quickly knelt down beside him on the floor and expelled the choking liquid from his lungs. It took a couple of very solid, very Muggle thumps in the chest to force his heart to restart and his lungs to begin pumping again, but after a few seconds of very hard work, Consuela leToya sat back on her heels and grinned down at her sticky, dishevelled and thoroughly chastened supervisor.

"Score one for the seniors," she laughed as they helped each other up. "So, where shall we take him, the Auror's headquarters?"

Vincent wiped a sticky hand down his face and shuddered dramatically. "Yes indeed. But first, let's make this potion disappear. After all, I have been swimming in it so it can't be very hygienic any more. Where can we banish it to?"

"Good question. Let's drop it into the sewerage treatment works, that is about the least magical place I can think of and I know it is not on any ley lines or in any hot spots. Our people were very careful to influence the Muggles when they were building it, if you remember?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me, my dear. Would you care to do the honours? I fear I am somewhat fatigued by my morning's exertions," Gilbert allowed, trying not to show just how tired he really was.

Giggling in the sheer relief, they emptied the vat with a banishing charm, bound their prisoner and apparated out to Auror headquarters.

oo0oo

After a few false starts and a lot of disbelief, the anti-terrorist squad and the Aurors were finally working together and learning respect for each other's methods. John shook his head when two of his best men were utterly defeated and handcuffed by tiny Fiona McDonald, all blonde hair and giggles. She, on the other hand had to be picked up and passed to the man on the top of the wall when the two groups tackled an assault obstacle course. Ron didn't mention that the small woman could just have easily levitated herself to the top as her helplessness made the Muggles feel much better about having her on the team.

"All in all, Inspector Weasley, I think it's going rather well," John Parkhurst said thoughtfully as they took a break for lunch, the two teams intermingling and interacting with each other freely.

"It is," Ron confirmed, offering the other man one of the sandwiches Desiree had made for him. "These sort of mixed operations don't happen often but in this case it's necessary. The offenders are sinning against both our cultures and need to be stopped. Once the prisoners are secure, we have _veritaserum_ to use for questioning and then they are all yours. I'm sure the evidence will hold up in your courts."

"I don't understand, I thought your people had charges to lay against them too?" Parkhurst frowned, glancing at the other man questioningly.

"Oh, once we have spoken to them and know where the next link in the chain is then we will erase any traces of our culture from their minds and leave only their crimes against Muggles for them to answer to. Unless of course, one of them is a wizard and then he is ours." Ron's voice did not change inflection but John thought it would go very harshly with any wizard they found.

Shrugging off the feeling, he tapped the three dimensional model of the building they were going to assault. "My worry is the lack of cover in getting up to the building in the first place. Have your people anything that will allow us to get close? That's the trouble with summer nights, no darkness."

"No problem, my people will issue your people with invisibility cloaks. It will just be a matter of not tripping up or making a noise. The meeting is being held at seven thirty and they are expecting about fifteen people. My biggest fear is that they call off the meeting when they realise that Rosemary Killmonte has lost her diary. Oh, the woman attacked one of ours in the street in Oxford last night. Fortunately his girlfriend had the presence of mind to rip her handbag off before she could get away. You know how these things usually break, loads of careful police work, following leads, asking questions then some bloody amateur gets a very nice and unexpected break," Ron stated cynically and John laughed, all too aware of the usual course of events. "Still, the girl in question was the niece of a nasty bastard and was quick to call her uncle in to take over the problem. Severus recognised the break for what it was and acted accordingly. Mind you, he's Old School and we'll never live it down."

John nodded and toasted his counterpart with his cup of tea. "Yes, we have old boys like that. Nothing is as bad or as dangerous as it was in his day and we young Johnny-come-lately whipper-snappers have no idea at all about _real_ police work."

Ron could almost picture Severus saying something like that and burst out laughing as he nodded his agreement. "Yeah! Oh well, here's to a successful raid and collar for us all! The meeting is scheduled for seven thirty so I think eight pm would be a good time to start, plenty of time for the stragglers to get there and for everyone to get settled and down to business."

"Sound reasoning and I believe it is a go," Parkhurst agreed cheerfully.


	37. The DLRM

**Chapter 36 –_ The DLRM_**

The members of the Decency League for the Removal of Magic began assembling at seven o'clock at the home of Flora Higginbottom, one of the oldest and most active members, also one of the wealthiest. She had lost more than any of them and was determined that no family would ever have to face such devastating losses again. She was both the President and the main sponsor of the Direstium production factory, giving part of her warehouse premises over without counting the cost. Others made similarly generous donations of time, money and expertise in the fight against the terrible infections of magic that took their children from them!

For years she had tried to do something about getting rid of magic but for years she had been ignored until one day she met a like-minded one of _them_. He had been so hurt and angry and wanted to do something to strike a blow for like-minded people. They had both consulted time and again until he discovered a dirty little secret _they_ were trying to keep. After a thorough investigation, he had laid a proposition before her. He would show her a way of revenging herself against all wizarding kind, if she had the courage and was willing to pay the price.

Oh, there had been stumbling blocks and setbacks along the way especially when some of the people they tried to help literally turned on them and accused them of terrible things. There were even occasional deaths, but as he said, not everyone could be made into a productive member of society, and better dead than one of _them_! _'You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs!'_ But now they had a perfect and subtle weapon that would eventually eliminate all magic from every country on the face of the earth for ever! After all, if no-one developed the infection then they could not breed and create more of the infected ones.

Now that the plan was in full motion she felt she had the right to feel a little pleased with herself as she prepared for the monthly meeting of the DLRM, as she liked to call it. As they managed to heal more infections she hoped to take the good fight to other parts of the country and open more branches of the organisation but that was a dream for the future. When she was feeling on top of the world, she even speculated that she could take her cure to every corner of the world! Free everyone from the fear and cruelty of the magical infestations that occurred everywhere.

Laying the refreshments table with sandwiches and little cakes, she had the tea tray laid and the chairs set out for the meeting, all ready for six thirty so that she wouldn't be late. Being the hostess it was important to make sure proper standards were maintained at all points. It wouldn't do to be less than genteel even though one or two of the members were not of the same social standing as she. Still - she sniffed to herself - that more or less confirmed that the infection was no respecter of class boundaries or breeding.

The first of her guests arrived at seven exactly, giving the correct knock and reply to the question she asked. Mr Henry and Mrs Emily Mergeson were always a little early to arrive, Emily bringing a very light Victoria Sponge cake and Henry bringing a cheque for four hundred pounds. They always brought a good sum collected from friends, relatives and customers at their small shop in Bristol. Flora wasn't sure that the contributors knew what they were contributing to but they always gave with a generous hand. Emily was the secretary and always took the minutes most meticulously. Henry was the treasurer and very good at it indeed, being an accountant.

By the time everyone except Gilbert Nelson had arrived, the large sitting room was quite packed and the light supper had been bolstered by many contributions as usual. Everyone brought a plate as Flora felt it bonded them closer together to share food and drink. Her father always said, make sure they are well fed and watered before starting any serious business and you will have their attention and their cooperation. And of course, Father was always right! Once everyone was seated on the assortment of chairs in the formal sitting room the meeting was brought to order and Emily recapped the minutes from the previous meeting before Henry gave his financial report which was always awaited eagerly.

Every month at their meetings everyone competed for a little prize to see who had raised the most money that month. Whoever won it more than three times in a year received a nice little gold pin with a lucky horseshoe on it to keep the nasty little magical creatures away. Laura Henderson won the prize for the largest donation of the month, this month with her contribution of almost one thousand pounds, a huge effort. Even little Joshua Ransom made his contribution, having collected money from his scout group to help his older sister who was 'taking the cure'. Everyone clapped him for his effort, which brought the monthly contributions up to a very healthy three thousand seven hundred pounds!

As President Flora Higginbottom brought the meeting to order and asked if there was anything to report? Jim Smith stood up and rattled his notes self-importantly.

"We have a problem at the ward," he reported grimly. "There was a terrible raid two days ago and our facility was destroyed, the patients taken away and the records confiscated," he said self-importantly.

The hubbub of raised voices drowned out anything he had to say, one or two people rising as if to flee. Flora stood up and banged the gavel for silence which came reluctantly. "That is quite enough of that! You all know how dangerous our work is. If it was not so important people would not try to stop us. If our facility has been destroyed then we must create a new facility to replace it. We have the funds as Henry has just told us so that is not a problem. If we have to, I will purchase new premises for our ward and we can continue the good fight. We cannot afford to stop at the first hiccough or all our previous efforts will have been in vain," she admonished them again. "Please, carry on with your report, Jim."

"Thank you, Mrs Higginbottom. Although the facility was destroyed, our last load of distillation was safely delivered to the distribution point with no trouble at all. So, even if we cannot produce more for the next three weeks, we will have no problem keeping up our present level of medication. Gilbert assured me he would introduce the distillation into the mixture this morning."

"Where is Gilbert, by the way?" Henry Mergeson asked, glancing around uneasily.

"He had a meeting with one of _them_ this morning at nine so perhaps it went longer than he thought," Andrea Gardener, a faithful contributor muttered, counting off her worry beads diligently. "And just as an aside at this point, my youngest niece fell down the stairs last night and ended up standing at the bottom on her own two feet without a single bruise. I think she is infected too so I went straight out and bought some Sleep Tight to help her get over the bruises. I do so hope it works for my sister's sake!"

"Oh, you poor dear, it's so sad when a child takes ill!" Rosemary Killmonte sympathised, catching up her hand to pat it consolingly. "On a brighter note, I caught one of _them_ popping in last evening and I managed to give him a whole bottle of medicine, all in one shot! Lost my damned handbag in the process but it was worth it to know I personally disposed of one of the bastards!"

Flora stiffened and stared at the dried up spinster who was still gloating at her memories. "Rosemary Killmonte, please tell me you didn't have your diary in that bag too?" she asked apprehensively.

"Well, of course I di…. Oh my! You don't think….! But that was last night, and the raid was two days ago. It can't be connected, can it?"

"Rosemary Killmonte if you have led those monsters to our door by your compulsive stupidity…." Henry Mergeson began threateningly.

A thunderous knocking at the door cut off the threat stillborn and everyone jumped to their feet in an undisciplined hubbub of voices.

oo0oo

"North Team in place."

"West Team in place."

"East Team in place."

"South Team in place."

"Sky Team in place."

"Synchronise time eight on the mark. Three, two, one, mark."

Constable Martin Harmen banged on the door of the house they had just surrounded, making it as authoritarian as he could. There was a muffled set of noises then someone ripped open the door, barging out and trying to push past the burley constable. He stepped aside and allowed the five people to rush past him straight into the waiting arms of the mop-up squad. East team caught three women trying to sneak out of the lower storey windows. South Team reported two men and two casualties. One of the men thought to punch a small, frail looking female constable in red out of the way. She threw him so far back he slammed into his fellow escapist and both ended up with fractured ribs.

East Team was not so lucky, the report of a light calibre pistol splitting the night. There was a scream and a few bitten off swear words then the radio crackled into life requesting assistance for one man down. Constable Harvey Salisbury never regained consciousness from a .22 calibre slug though the eye, the one part a vest could not protect. The shooter, one Henry Mergeson, was charged with murder after he was discharged from hospital himself.

Ron swore softly under his breath when they realised they had only found twelve of the supposed fifteen people slated to make the meeting. Gilbert Nelson would not be there for obvious reasons; Rosemary Killmonte and the house owner Flora Higginbottom were also missing, presumed to still be in the house once the teams had called in. "Damn it! We're going to have to go in after them," he muttered to himself in disgust

"Want me to order the search?" John Parkhurst asked then gave the order at the redhead's nod of approval. "Room by room, people, and don't miss anything. We have two minors in custody so watch out for other kids, too."

The search made room by room through the large, two storey house turned up one cat and little else although the red clad Aurors seemed inclined to take the cat into custody for a while. One of the women spotted a stepladder and indicated there was an attic under the high pitched roof. One of the Aurors did an incredible thing and rose carefully with no aid from anyone, pushing open the trapdoor an inch at a time. The attic was full of junk and old furniture but no human presence it was ascertained as the rest of them followed up by more conventional methods.

"Mind you, the presence of an attic almost demands there be a cellar to balance it," Constable Rolland joked then said 'oh' as the people around him stiffened at his words. "Damn!"

The teams hurried down the stairs and began searching for a door that led down.

"Here it is," Fiona McDonald said softly as she pushed the concealed door open very carefully. The stairs led down steeply, turning half way to block the view of the rest of the cellar complex. "Wait here, I'll go look."

The Muggle parts of the team gawked as she disappeared, a small brown mouse taking her place. The wizarding half seemed to take it as a matter of course that a woman could become a tiny field mouse without any effort. It scurried away silently, was absent for a few minutes before it reappeared and changed back into the small girl at the head of the stairs out of sight of the cellar floor.

"We have a situation, people. There are two old beldams down there and they have a strange sort of clock thing attached to what looks like one of those cylinders we saw at the factory yesterday. It's making a ticking sound like an alarm clock. What do you think?"

"Could be a bomb," Rolland mused, his team leader nodding agreement.

"So what do your lot know about bombs?" Sergeant Rogers asked curiously.

"What's a bomb?" came the anonymous query, making the Muggles groan softly.

McDonald grinned into the darkness. "It's mainly only teasing. Some of us grew up as Muggles but some of us didn't. Think of it as an _incendio_ spell with a Thousand Knives curse embedded in it, okay. When it goes off, it cuts you to rags with light and sound effects too," she described for the sake of the few purely wizard-raised in the group. "Can we do a containment spell on it; funnel it straight up or something?"

"Have to get our people around the spell first," Gordon mused. "Who has the invisibility cloaks? Super! Wrap us up, send us in and then we all uncloak at the same moment. Who does the best containment spells? Not you, Fiona, you would get pushed over. Larsen, Longatti and I can handle the bang. Dobson, Smith and both Joneses can do the funnelling. Suit you guys?"

The Muggle sergeant nodded thoughtfully. "You know, I didn't understand half of that but it sounded _really_ good! Go for it!"

The three named people wrapped themselves in the invisibility cloaks and ghosted down into the well lit cellar area. The two old women were obviously guarding something at their backs which involved what looked like a wind up alarm clock and three fat red candles strapped to the side of a huge round metal cylinder. "It's definitely a bomb," Larsen confirmed softly, still invisible inside the cloak.

Both women stiffened and lifted the cricket bats they were holding, waving them around wildly. "We know you monsters are there! If you come near us we will blow up the whole place and we can, you know," the left hand woman said in high, stringent tones. The right hand woman showed where a piece of string went from her hand to the top of the bomb.

The wizards ignored them as they slid into position and drew their wands. "On the count of three," Longatti said loudly enough for everyone to hear, the women shrieking in fright.

All three magicals began a chant that would smother and contain the explosion if it happened while the funnelling team slid into place behind them and began to weave a shield that would send any explosion up and away from the people waiting around the building. The Muggle contingent waited for the liaison officer to give them the nod then carefully began making their way down the steep stairs to where they could see the women.

"Don't you come any closer!" Rosemary screeched pointing her bat at the lead sergeant.

"You are a traitor to your blood and kind, cooperating with _them_. Don't you know what they will do to you? They will turn you into a mindless slave and steal your children and turn them into monsters like they are. Or worse, they will kill all your daughters, rape and torture them before they send the pieces back to you just as they did my little bouquet of joy!"

"Now come on, Lady, put the bat down and let's get out of here. So far there is little evidence to pin on you and we don't want to make the situation any worse, now do we. Come on now Aunty, put the bat down."

"He is already contaminated, look at his eyes; he is already infected with the poison, Rosemary. All the words in the world will do no good at all," Flora said in resignation. "It's no use my dear, we will have to make the ultimate sacrifice." She wrapped the string more firmly around her hand and pulled hard as her companion nodded eagerly.

The click was deafening then a few embarrassed chuckles broke out just before the muffled boom shook the building to its foundations. The natural gas tank the dynamite was strapped to split like a melon and the gas ignited in a flaming ball that licked out at everyone. The Muggles ducked then the wall of flame contacted an invisible barrier and roared hungrily as it splattered and formed a perfect cylinder. Thwarted in its rush outward, the ball became a pillar as it was forced upward, blasting through the ceiling and up through the upper Floors until it blew of the roof. The broomstick squad peeled away from the pillar of flame in a hurried move that almost exposed them to Muggle eyes.

Seven magicals swayed and gritted their teeth as they fed power into the spells containing the ravening forces, holding the compressed power contained until it found its own way out thought the roof and dissipated into the night. Slumping, the cloaks were allowed to fall as the walls of spells were allowed to fade and the residual heat washed over the cellar's occupants. Flora saw the slim, black skinned man appear before her and swung the bat hard, taking Peter Larson in the ribs with the edge. The crackle of breaking bones was incredibly loud in the silence of the cellar, Fiona McDonald letting out a shocked cry as her fiancé collapsed on the dirty ground.

Flora's crow of triumph was lost as the small girl back-handed her and fell to her knees beside the fallen man, tears in her eyes. Her group leader was a step behind her, quickly taking Larson's pulse and patting McDonald's shoulder. "Yes, he's still alive. Good! Can you manage him to St Mungo's? Go!"

The couple winked out as the red clad wizard rose and plucked the bats from the women's hands almost contemptuously. "You two are under arrest for the kidnap and murder of a number of people over the last three years."

"She struck me! That filthy animal struck me!" Higginbottom gasped in disbelief, unable to comprehend the change of circumstances.

"Aren't you lucky she is so small and thin then?" one of the Muggles said harshly, spinning her around and handcuffing her without mercy. "You have the right to remain silent…."

"Only until Inspector Weasley brings in the Potions Master to administer _veritaserum_ and find out just how far this conspiracy goes," Giovanni Longatti said in grim satisfaction.


	38. Wrapping Up

**Chapter 37 –_ Wrapping Up_**

The Burrow basked in the mid August sun, butterflies and fairies flitting around the flowers by the sandstone wall. Gnomes huddled in terror or ran for their lives as the hoard of small children chased them down and kicked them out of the garden. Adults lazed on the newly mown grass or played a desultory game of Quidditch with those children who were so inclined, using the Burrow's collection of well used brooms.

Remus faced off Harry as seekers for the two teams while Ron and Draco played keeper. Lysander and Thorn Malfoy played beaters on one team while the two Potter children played beaters on the other team. Much against their better judgement Hermione and Ginny played chasers against Hanova Malfoy and William Weasley. The teams were terrible and would never make it into any league any of them had ever heard of, especially when Hermione wouldn't go any higher than her head and Severus, playing referee, was not much keener. Still, the kids loved it, literally flying rings around their parents while their younger siblings ran on the field under the brooms, cheering and teasing and coaxing them into giving rides.

"Honestly, Uncle Remus, even a blind man could have seen that snitch!" Lillian complained as the two teams put up their brooms and sprawled over the grass with glasses of cold lemonade Molly served.

"Hey kid, a blind man did catch it," her father reminded her, poking her in the ribs with his toe.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Lillian complained and tickled her father back, until they were rolling through the grass in fits of giggles.

"So Ron, what happened with the nutters from the Wizarding destruction group?" Molly asked when the children had gone off to play in the woods attached to the Weasley property.

"Mu-um!" Ron moaned then tossed himself flat on the grass, drumming his heels in imitation of his younger self. "Okay, okay!" he conceded when his wife gave him a poke in the ribs. "The meeting at Potten End gave us the hard core members of the Decency League for the Removal of Magic. The old lady, Flora Higginbottom, was the leader and main supporter of the mad movement. Do any of you remember Primula Higginbottom from school? She would have been in seventh when we were in second."

"Rather good at potions and quite bright on the whole, Ravenclaw, of course," Severus murmured, carding his fingers through Remus' hair absentmindedly. "Youngest of the horde of Higginbottoms, wasn't she? The eldest probably went to school with Bill and Charlie." He glanced over to where Molly was sitting in a low garden chair.

"Yes, there was some sort of joke going around that they were almost as prolific as Arthur and I and that if the two families married red roses would be natural symbol for the newly created Family," Molly mused with a shaken head. "Bill and Charlie were not amused!"

Ron shook his head in amazement at his mother's easy mentioning of their father and brothers without pain or more than natural sorrow for their loss. He owed a huge debt to Severus and Remus for rescuing her from herself. Clearing his throat noisily, he glared at the audience and continued his story. "She was in training as an Unspeakable when she lost four sisters to Voldemort. He went on a rampage and started killing off Muggle families of known opponents. Well, the old girl who formed and lead the group was her mother and she took Primula's fight to heart, only she expanded it to mean _all_ wizarding kind. It was her warehouse, her idea and her money that propelled the whole campaign. She was going nowhere until Gilbert Nelson met her and together they cooked up the scheme to manufacture and distribute _Direstium_. After the bomb thing in the cellar, we took the whole lot into custody and our Potions Master dosed them with _Veritaserum_. The whole conspiracy was not very large, relying on the old lady's money and the ability of the others to raise more money amongst their friends and relatives. There doesn't seem to be any other groups operating in the country and I think we may have contained this outbreak quite nicely. We basically rearranged the Muggle minds so they looked like crackpots, murderous crackpots but still nutters. The police and anti-terrorist squad took over from there and, with a little realigning of their memories; they took charge of the Muggle offenders. We decided to keep John Parkhurst's memory intact but put a _Confundus_ spell on him so he can't mention it to anyone. Nelson is now serving his sentence in Azkaban and won't be out for a very long time."

"What has been done about all that contaminated Sleep Tight that was put out onto the market?" Desiree asked curiously, poking her husband again to keep him talking.

"I'll bruise woman, I swear I will!" he whined then grinned when she poked him some more. "Alright, already. Parkhurst did a broadcast on the Muggle radio and informed the public that certain batches of Sleep Tight had been infected by a terrorist group calling themselves the Decency League for the Removal of Mothers. He announced that the potion had been poisoned and the children would die so therefore no-one would be a mother any more. He told everyone that they weren't entirely sure which batches of Sleep Tight had been affected so please hand them all in immediately for disposal. The other news also gave out reports that fifty five children under the age of three had been poisoned and four had died already in various parts of the country. It almost caused a riot and the number of sickly children being reported to their nearest infirmary went through the roof but I think we managed to get all the Sleep Tight out of circulation. While we had such a flood of children coming into the clinics and infirmaries we vaccinated them against the poisoning and treated anyone we found who was infected. Of course we made it a free treatment so no-one objected and they all signed paperwork saying they wouldn't sue the manufacturers of Sleep Tight or we would have had an even worse disaster of greedy punters on our hands."

"What about those who were affected by the _Direstium_, who's magic was totally nullified?" Hermione asked softly into the contemplative silence.

"Some of them were totally happy about losing the magic as their families had finally accepted them as normal. Those who were unhappy accepted some memory charms and in one case an _Obliviate_ to make them happier with their lives. The Anderson girls were barely affected and their brother who has orkistm, oh sorry Autism turned out to be a genuine Seer and you know how rare they are. No wonder they had been given that strange Muggle diagnosis. Their parents were very happy to have expert help in bringing him into control of his gift and the people at the Department of Mysteries were totally thrilled to have a new Seer as powerful as young Jason Anderson will probably prove to be."

"And Vincent McIntyre? How is he recovering?" Hermione asked.

Severus glanced across and snorted in disgust. "The old goat is doing very well. Would you believe he has taken to courting my Aunt? Consuela leToya is simpering and flirting and acting like a debutant at her presentation ball!"

The laughter echoed over the quiet afternoon. Remus smiled fondly at his husband and picked a piece of grass to nibble on. "Sandy is also courting, or being courted by Brian Bridgewell, the chap she rescued from that second nutter who poured Sleep Tight into him. His family have given him official permission to continue."

"Any detrimental effects over that infection?" Desiree asked curiously.

"No, neither Brian nor Vincent were poisoned for long enough to destroy more than the most superficial edges of their abilities. Both will continue to have treatments every three days for a further month to be sure but it looks like they have both been cleared by the special unit."

"Even better, I was able to buy into Brimmers when the scandal of the contaminated potion dropped their stock by fifty percent. I bought enough blocks of stock to pretty much control the company and write the company policy regarding what they should produce and how they should distribute." Draco smiled in quiet satisfaction, hugging his wife. "What it means is that Severus' potion to inoculate the kids in future can be quietly distributed without fuss. We will be releasing Sleep Tight back onto the market in a green colour and banana-lime flavour to make sure it is not confused with the pink poisonous variety. We also think we should put the antidote in the colourless variety of infant analgesics too, just in case."

"So, all is well that ends well?" Molly asked as she brought out more drinks for her guests.

"There is only one more thing to address now and that is Angelinus," Severus murmured softly. "I promised that, once the _Direstium_ crisis was over, I would see about separating the twins. Well, the crisis is over and we have pretty much formulated a method to split them that promises success. So, for the next few months we are going to be rather busy."

The adults all looked grave as they wished the Snapes good luck.

oo0oo

Harrison Flamel, paediatrician to Magical children, rose hurriedly when his receptionist announced the arrival of his guest. Striding forward, he held out a hand and shook the thin man's hand unselfconsciously. "Come in, come in, Professor Snape. Glad you could make it. I think I have the candidate we need," he chortled as he shut the door on the waiting room full of patients.

"Do you, indeed?" Severus murmured as he allowed himself to be led to a chair and seated hurriedly before paperwork was thrust at him. "What's all this?"

"If you remember, we were discussing the need to build a body, a whole body to house a complete mind and soul? Yes? You said it was all very well to build rabbits and Kneazles but how was a person supposed to know if the whole personality had been transferred across into the new body?"

"Yes, yes, I do remember what I said," Severus snapped impatiently, rubbing his tired eyes.

It was all very well to say, just clone a body but to actually do it was not easy at all. First the selection, creation and modification of the necessary potions had been a nightmare! Every step forward had been accompanied by a step backward. Every time he managed to achieve one set of goals, they directly impacted on what had gone before and half the time wiped out all past gains. When he managed to grow the skeleton then the potion to form the organs had a bad reaction with the bone potion and blew up a cauldron. When skeleton and organs were functionally formed then the vascular system failed to grow or in one experiment grew so wildly it was like Devil's Snare coming out of the cauldron to get him. When he finally managed to get a whole and perfect body crated, then as soon as he lifted it out of the primal soup it had formed in, it fell to pieces in a bloody, stinking heap. It had been very disheartening.

He had to admit, everyone had been very supportive of his efforts, friends, family, students even. His seventh year students had taken the project as their own and had made so many batches of bulk potions, healing potions, blood, bone and scar removal potions that seven of the twelve had been offered unconditional places in the College of Potion Makers and five had been offered healer positions at St Mungo's. It was a record for any Potions class and he was extremely proud of his students.

When, after the holidays he found he did not have time to do the research and teach classes, Albus had volunteered to be his substitute but alas the old man had not been very successful. At his wits end, Severus had taken the fifth-years and seventh-years who were preparing for exams and turned a blind eye to Albus' shenanigans in his classroom with the rest of the years. Unfortunately the arrangement came to grief when a fourth-year Ravenclaw managed to make an incendiary solution that even the containment charms on the Potions classroom ceiling failed to hold and the roof fell in, injuring seven and rendering the classroom unstable until the house-elves had called in a Master Mason to repair it.

Grimly, Severus had to withdraw his opposition and agree to the employment of a substitute to take his classes. He was very reluctant after the last substitute who had abused the youngest and most vulnerable of the children as well as used school facilities for illegal brewing. After rejecting twenty-three prospective candidates for reasons that seemed trivial to everyone else, he was on the verge of giving up his research to take up his teaching duties when his Aunt stepped into the breach.

Consuela leToya was not used to anyone gainsaying her when she decided to do something and it was with some trepidation that Severus finally agreed that she was 'a', well-qualified enough to teach potions and 'b', probably capable of keeping the brats from blowing themselves up and 'c', possibly able to maintain the strict discipline the classroom needed to make a and b possible. He showed her his lesson plans, pigeonholed in his office by year and term. He gave her the passwords to his storerooms and cupboards and very reluctantly stepped aside to allow her to take the first of his classes, a Gryffindor and Slytherin mix of sixth-years who were almost as bad as the Potter/Malfoy rivalry of past years. At least they didn't have a Longbottom to blow them all up regularly.

Consuela didn't swirl or billow, she didn't snarl or snap, she simply suspended offenders from the ceiling by their ankles over their own cauldrons, or the cauldron they had attempted to sabotage. It sent Severus off into fits of laughter such as the school had never seen before and made all the years sit back and take notice of the gently smiling, silver haired sadist they had been inflicted with for potions. That worry taken care of, Snape had buckled down to some serious research and finally made a lot of progress, enough to create a horde of rabbits, a plague of rats and more Kneazles than was wise.

Professor Grubbly-Plan even brought him a young Thestral who had broken its back to try his technique on, the largest creature he had attempted. It worked perfectly and the newly created Thestral foal had gone back to its mother with no rejection or problems in moving about at all. It was time for a human subject and that was where the progress hit the rocks of morality with smashing force.

Experimenting on humans was more than frowned upon, it was downright forbidden by law and classed as a Dark Art. The emotions the very mention of experimenting on children aroused were overwhelming and almost had Severus lynched, never mind sent to Azkaban, when he suggested it. Fortunately, Harrison Flamel, premier authority on magical children's maladies weighed in on his side, as did Madam Director Adrienne Ladoux, Director of St Mungo's. Both made it clear that there would be no experimentation on children but there would be very necessary trials of new and oft times radical treatments for the more serious maladies and would anyone dare deny a child the best chance at healing available or would they condemn a child to eternal pain and torture because they were too bigoted or blind to allow someone to treat an unusual disease?

So here he was in young Flamel's office with a wad of papers in his hands and a rather anxious young wizard peering hopefully at him with puppy-dog eyes. He cleared his throat self-consciously and turned his attention to the paperwork. "A magical accident? What sort of accident causes such a mixed log of symptoms?" Snape asked, pinning the paediatrician with a blatant glare.

"A horrible one." Harrison sighed deeply, pushing across a photo for Severus to study.

He turned it this way and that trying to decide which way the child, or mass of flesh, was lying. "This is alive and conscious?" he asked incredulously.

"Amelia Jeanne Harper is alive and conscious, an intelligent ten-year-old trapped in that twisted wreck of flesh and bone. Can you blame her parents for being willing to try anything that comes along to try and unscramble her? They have been victimised and preyed upon by every hag and hedgerow con artist you could imagine. But each time something fails, they shake their head and are taken for a ride by the next con artist who promises the world."

"I will have to speak to the child first…" Severus began and suddenly found himself hauled up by one arm, a most unusual thing. Unresisting, he was towed into the next room where an anxious older couple sat wringing their hands, a large boat-bodied perambulator between them. Severus barely heard the introductions to the elder Harpers or the couple's protests as he studied the 'thing' carefully cradled on a goose down quilt. A single blue eye stared up at him from the centre of a pinkish lump of flesh, arms, legs and heads sprouting from odd angles around the central ball. Gripping his wand through the holder, Severus cast a silent _Legilimens_ and fell into… a perfectly sane and rather well ordered mind.

/_Hello, who are you?_/ the mind asked, female in tone and as curious as a Kneazle.

/_Snape, a Potions Master_,/ he was forced to reply. /_I am assessing your sanity before I agree to treat you, or not._/

/_Oh dear, I wish mum and dad wouldn't. Most of you are frauds and it just hurts._/

/_What happened to you?_/ Severus asked gently.

/_I don't know. I found a sparkly ball in the garden and when I went to pick it up, everything went funny and then I was like this._/

/_Dark artefact, obviously. I wonder who your parents offended. Do you want to be normal again? It might not work, I might kill you by accident, you know?_/

/_Better than this,_/ the girl said flatly with a maturity far beyond her apparent age. /_Do what you can and if it does kill me, at least mum and dad will be free again._/

Severus withdrew from her mind to see the three adults staring at him with varying degrees of questioning in their eyes. "She is a good subject and is willing to try, even if it kills her. She accepts the risks, do you?"

oo0oo

It took weeks to get the paperwork notarised, to set up the theatre of operations, to train the team Severus wanted to assist him, make sure everyone was well versed in the parts they were to play. Personally, he would have preferred to keep the operating small and quiet without any advertising at all. However, Madam Ladoux convinced him that large and splashy would suit their purpose much better; hauling their experiment into the light would make sure no-one pointed the accusing finger if anything went wrong. Making it a team effort would spread the kudos if all went well but also spread the blame if anything went wrong. '_Besides_,' she said with an elegantly Gaelic shrug, '_it kept the Harpers occupied and off his back while he was working!'_

Finally, when the big day came it was almost an anticlimax, the team going into action with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of efficiency. Severus stood back and watched as the girl's soul left her frozen, dead and scrambled body, to be caught deftly in the soul-net spells he had already ordered cast. He studied the process intently as the body formed in the cauldron around the core of the soul. That was an unexpected development that made Severus scribble copious notes. He had thought to create the body then introduce the soul but nothing had happened until the girl's soul had hopped into the cauldron. Perhaps the soul was yet another catalyst to the potion and the 'ripeness' of the potion was secondary to the introduction of the soul to the brew. If that was the case then he would have a few hours' grace in which to rest once the potion was brewed and settled. Oh well, just another wrinkle to be ironed out! Just as the process was almost finished, Severus called a halt, noticing something curious. The soul was not married to the body properly, a small amount of the fluid not yet absorbed into the new body. They waited a good hour until Severus was satisfied that the soul had settled in before cautiously lifting the limp little girl and laying her on the towels beside the cauldron.

The body obviously was not breathing and a pinch from a Medi-witch did not start the process. Panic ensued until Muggle methods of CPR were called upon, the young wizard working hard until the girl drew her own breath, causing a ragged cheer to break out. Limp and twitching spastically, the girl was at least breathing on her own. When her eyelids were rolled back, Severus found her mind intact and fighting hard to try and control her new form.

/_Relax, child, give it time. You are as helpless as a newborn, you are a newborn and you need time to learn how to walk, talk and move again. Your parents are waiting to greet you and I am happy with the results. Congratulations on your rebirth-day,_/ he sent drolly, making the child gurgle a laugh in the real world.

/_Thank you, Sir, thank you so much!_/ she managed to say before she fell into a deep, healing sleep.

oo0oo

Remus was waiting for Severus in the sitting room of their suite, wringing his hands anxiously. He almost melted on the spot when he saw the smile in his husband's eye and the spring in his step. There was no need for words, the news transmitted in body language alone and it was all good.

"She will start Hogwarts next year on schedule." Was all Severus said about his remarkable achievement when pressed by his colleagues at the staff table. In private he was a little more forthcoming, mentioning that getting the soul out of Angelinus might be difficult and he would have to think about it carefully as the old body had to die to release the soul into the catching net and they really did not want to kill Angel while releasing Linus.

"There are some things that I will need to refine but all in all, I think we are ready to go ahead," Severus announced a week before Halloween."

"When will the team get here and when will you start?" Albus asked with a nod of understanding.

"No team, just Remus, Poppy and I. Minerva and Filius, may I ask you two to cast the protection and soul-net spells on the arena. I think you are more capable than the person who did it at St Mungo's." He turned to his colleagues and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you did the spell casting," Minerva said with a faint frown.

"I did. As I said, I believe you and Filius are much more capable at foolish wand waving than I am."

"Only you could make a compliment sound like a complete insult," Filius chortled, clapping his hands in excitement. "We'll have to cast all the air filtering and germ protection spells that usually go around a St Mungo's operating theatre as well as the specialised spells Severus wants in place, Minerva. How close to the magical core of the castle do we need to be, Severus? Ah! Headmaster, can we use the old distilling rooms near the potions laboratory? They will be in a perfect spot and they already have a Floo which can be connected to the internal system without any difficulty at all! Oh, do come along, Minerva, we must get started! This is so exciting!" The small man slid down from his chair and almost skipped out of the room in his hurry.

Minerva rose with a little more dignity and patted both Remus' and Severus' shoulder in passing. "It will all go as smoothly as we can manage," she assured them with a decisive nod as she hurried out after her fellow professor.

"I didn't actually mean for them to do it right now. I still have some research to do, perhaps another couple of weeks worth, actually," Severus remarked plaintively as he turned to the headmaster in apology.

"We have all been waiting for this day with bated breath, my dear boys, and we all wish you the best of luck so you will have to excuse our enthusiasm. Take all the time you need, we will all be ready to play our parts when you are ready to play yours," Albus assured him softly as he too rose and went off to see if he could help in the preparations.


	39. Torn Asunder

**Chapter 38 – **_**Torn Asunder**_

Remus found another knot in his husband's shoulders and dug his thumb in to it. Severus groaned and sighed as his tension was smoothed away. The firm mattress under his chest barely gave as Remus threw all his weight and skill into the massage that would allow Severus to sleep.

"I don't know why you let yourself get into this state. You should have left it alone and come out of your bloody dungeon when I called you, two nights ago. It serves you right if you never straightened up again," Remus scolded but his hands never faltered in their healing tasks.

"It was too important to leave," Severus replied between moans. "Between the rest of the information you found on the Internet, the things Desiree Weasley told me and what Harrison Flamel discovered in bringing young Amelia Harper back to full function, I think I can now create a new body for Linus, make it male and make it to the correct size and proportion without endangering Angel, or affecting her too much, leaving her in sole charge of the current body."

Remus paused and waited for his husband to continue. When he didn't Remus slapped him indignantly. "Okay, just tell me, damn it!"

Severus chuckled evilly, pleased to have gotten a rise out of the normally calm Gryffindor. "It involves an extra step in the potions regime, some Muggle genetics research modified to fit our needs and a potent source of magic which is the least of our concerns as we have Hogwarts, the most potent source of magic in the world, I believe. The new, complete potion will take me forty seven hours to brew with almost continuous personal supervision, not something I can just leave to a team or an underling, I'm afraid. Once it is brewed it has to stand for twenty four hours before it is useable. The rooms Filius and Minerva have prepared are in the castle's foundations right next to the greatest source of magic in Britain, unlike St Mungo's which has an artificial core of magic that needs replenishing all the time. However, the catch is that we can only try this once, as we cannot afford to risk Angelinus again. If it fails then we cannot repeat the effort."

"If it's dangerous for the child then perhaps we should not risk it at all."

"Remus, how many times has Angelinus started to hurt themselves over the course of the last year because the two halves want to go their own ways? Right now at six years old, it's a matter of pulling hair and pinching. If this situation is not resolved then in the future we will lose them. As they get older, they will grow stronger and more capable of potentially lethal self harm." Both men shuddered at the thought.

"So, what is involved and what can I do to help?" Remus gave tactic permission.

Severus turned over and pulled Remus down into his arms, tapping the invisible mandala that still resided in the centre of his chest. "The conduit will allow you to help Linus separate from Angelina. I'm afraid you are going to have to lead him out and into his new body while I use _Legilimency_ to keep Angelina in her own body."

"But you and Angelina always clash or treat each other with complete formality. Surely it would be better…"

"No. She has to be totally distracted from what is happening to her brother. As soon as Linus is clear then she has to be taken away, out of the magic zone and Minerva or Filius must put up a warding spell to keep her away until Linus has managed to amalgamate fully with the new body. If she tries to interfere or even worse, tries to send her spirit to find him, it could destroy them both totally. Poppy has agreed to stand by and take Angel away to the infirmary for monitoring as soon as possible. Once she is clear then I can go on to the next part of the ritual. You, unfortunately, are going to have a very difficult time of it as you have to keep Linus focussed on you and busy with other things while I am removing Angel. He may become distracted and worry about where his sister has gone and that would be equally potentially disastrous to the outcome."

"And that is a bad thing?"

"No, but there may be some residual resentment left after the process is complete. I just hope the children do not end up hating me completely," he added grimly.

"Oh, Sev!" Remus shook his head and kissed him gently. "Go to sleep, you are exhausted and your paranoia valve is working overtime again."

oo0oo

The distilling rooms were cleaned and warded by Minerva and Filius, situated deep in the roots of the castle and close to the central core of magic that ran through Hogwarts. The cauldron sitting on a dual spell was huge too, big enough to hold a six year old child stretched out flat. Although made of base iron, it was lined with gold and all the ladles, stirring rods and measuring equipment were gold plated too. After much experimentation, Severus had found that gold was the best conductor of the reactions he needed. The potion itself was a complex mixture of ingredients and methods such as had never been seen before in any part of the wizarding world. He was quite proud of his achievement so far.

Severus had asked Linus to hold the body for him and while the little boy was present he had taken a skin sample as well as clipped the boy's hair, fingernails, toe nails and drawn out a small portion of his blood. The clippings were often used in potions such as polyjuice but the skin sample had been rushed off to Desiree who had taken it to work with her. The lab she worked in was in the forefront of genetic research and her colleagues were quite happy to show her how they had managed to extract stem cells out of ordinary skin cells. She had taken the small sample and the remember-crystal she had produced of the process back to Severus who had simply reproduced the experiment then replicated the results a thousand times with magic. He managed to make the stem cells multiply at a frightening rate and added all the created cells to a feeding solution so that the brew of the body's building blocks was ready to be added to the potion he was preparing in large quantities.

After taking a stay-awake potion and lining up many fortifying potions, Severus locked himself in the distilling rooms and began the brew. He worked with all the concentration he had, bringing to bear the formidable intellect and huge, wide-ranging knowledge of the art that made him a Master before he was twenty two. Every movement was precise, every chop was clean edged and every pulverise was perfect. His ability to stir in very precise increments of degrees was sorely tested when each of ten clockwise stirs with the golden rod had to be of three hundred and twelve degrees, not quite a full three hundred and sixty degree rotation.

Adding ingredients had its own set of headaches and tolerances that had to be observed minutely. The stem cell brew had to be of a certain thickness and twenty nine drops had to be added every twenty minutes for seven hours. Severus' brew was not quite thick enough at first and he had to gamble on adding thirty drops every second time for three hours to countermand the thinness. To complicate matters even further, one sliver of nail a single millimetre long and thick plus one hair with follicle attached had to be added every fifteen minutes at the same time the potion was being added. These multiple tasks with their very precise timing and movements had to be accomplished again and again over the full period of forty seven hours.

When he had been brewing a body for the Harper child he'd had a team of highly skilled and trained Medi-wizards and Potions Honorariums to call upon but this time he had stubbornly decided to go it alone. Remus had tried to persuade him, and Albus had tried to order him, to accept help but they just didn't understand something he hardly understood himself. This was his child, in a twisted sort of way, his only chance at having a real child of his own and he was going to take it! The need for the twist he planned and the secrecy to hide it drove him to extremes of endurance.

Ten of the hairs that were added to the potion so regularly were from his own head, not Linus', adding Severus' genetic material to the child's basic DNA. Once that was done then making Linus his Magical Heir and Heir to the Family would be a much simpler thing. No matter how much he tried to deny it, the Family had to be protected first. It was in his blood and bone and ignoring the impetus had been almost impossible as he grew older. Now, this measure would be served, although not in any conventionally way, but in a way that would placate the magic that tried to drive him to mate and procreate. Damned pure-blood instincts and imperatives, even when they were vehemently denied they were implacable and drove Old Blood Families to extreme measures at times, and the longer they were denied, the worse and more insistent they became. Severus had been successfully denying them for thirty of his fifty years but it had only grown harder as time passed.

By the end of the brewing time, Severus knew he was at the end of his endurance and that he never wanted to go through such a brewing again, at least, not this week. He barely had the strength to open the stillroom door and allow Remus in to rescue him before he slumped into a small, angular pool of blackness on the floor. He didn't awaken for twenty two of the necessary twenty four hours.

Finally, the elements were ready, everyone was briefed on what they had to do and there was no time to delay any longer. Severus carried Angelinus down to the distilling room where the potion was already prepared and the dual cauldrons were slowly losing temperature. The second cauldron held a common but complex potion that would protect Angelina when she was separated from Linus. It took skill to brew but was nowhere near as complex as the potion Severus had nearly killed himself to produce. Consuela leToya had taken it upon herself to do that piece of brewing as a favour to her nephew and he did appreciate it.

Both Angelinus and Remus were shivering as they were laid out on the gurneys he had borrowed from Poppy but Severus seemed immune to the cold as he positioned the two most important people in his life. The first part of the spell required that the children's body temperature be lowered almost to the point of death, where hypothermia caused the mind and the body to separate easily. There, at that cusp point of death, that was where the two souls could be easily and carefully separated with the least possibility of permanent damage.

Dropping a kiss on Angelinus' forehead, he stared into her eyes and caught her mind gently, wrapping it in his own before moving over to Remus and activating the spell he had asked Minerva to cast over Remus that morning. Remus too had to be cooled to the point where his soul was able to reach out and contact the children to help separate the boy from the girl who was to remain with the flesh. One of the dangers inherent in a ceremony like this was that the second soul, in this case, Linus, would take over the guide's body and refuse to leave when the ceremony called for it. Because Remus trusted Severus with all his heart and soul, it was possible for Severus to guide and ward him so that he would not end up disembodied after he had separated Linus and held him while his sister was removed from the wards.

When they were both in thrall to his will, Severus closed his eyes and entered the plane of the mind where the biggest and harshest battle of his life was about to commence.

oo0oo

Remus recognised the farmhouse as the Australian home of the twins but it was cold now and no sheep baa-ed in the distance. The twins were huddled together in their bedroom, arms wrapped firmly around each other. Neither of them looked up when Remus called to them but they both chose to cling to him when he sat down on the bed beside them. They were freezing! Instinctively, Remus opened his robes and wrapped them both up close to his body, holding them tight and chaffing their hands in an effort to make them a bit warmer. He knew he shouldn't do this but it was an instinct older than man.

Finally Severus arrived and shook his head slightly as he studied the small group before him. "It's time to let her go now, Remus," he said gently and carefully began to disentangle Angelina from the huddle of humanity. "Come along now, Child, time to go."

"No-oo! I wanna stay with Uncle Remy; I don't wanna go with you, Uncle Sev! You can't make me!" the little girl protested, twisting and turning in his grip until Severus thought he might drop her. However the reasons were too important to make such a slip at this point and he hung on tightly as the little girl kicked and clawed at his face and eyes, screaming and fighting to get back to her brother.

Remus was not having an easy time either, holding the boy as carefully as he could but using his werewolf strength to stop him tearing away. He had to be so careful not to hurt the boy but he could not let the twins rejoin, of that he was totally sure. He knew he wept at the pitiful wails coming from both children but he could not soften his resolve, dared not, even though it tore his heart to cause such anguish to his cubs.

Finally there was only Linus and he left in the bedroom, the little boy weeping disconsolately and clinging tightly to Remus as if he would never let go. There was no trace of the little girl's sobbing even to Remus' werewolf ears, the silence outside the room almost deafening in its isolation. He wanted to say something comforting to Linus but his teeth were chattering so much he couldn't get his tongue to work properly. In fact he was so cold he could barely feel Linus' arms around him. He looked down slowly to realise they were now totally alone in the bedroom in the Australian farmhouse. He wondered briefly how he was supposed to leave but then he put that care aside and lay down on the bed snuggling Linus up to his side. He was too sleepy to stay sitting up and decided to take a little nap as Linus was. Severus would take care of everything else, he always did.

oo0oo

Severus brought himself slowly and carefully out of the trance he had induced, still holding the cold body of the little girl in his arms. He carefully laid her into the first cauldron of potion and muttered the trigger to slowly bring the cauldron up to body temperature. The potion it contained was a liquid ward, a blanket that would stop the child's spirit trying to leave the body and go to find its other half. The buffering effect would also allow Angelina to heal the inner places where Linus used to reside and would fill up the spaces temporarily so that no other roving spirit would attempt to take up residence in her body while it was vulnerable. As soon as the temperature reached thirty six degrees centigrade, Severus carefully moved the cauldron into the side chamber and cast a separate bubble of warding over it before triggering the Summoning Spell.

Dumbledore himself Floo-ed into the antechamber and smiled at the younger teacher. "How is it progressing?"

"Remus and Linus are isolated in Limbo, Linus is holding onto Remus and being fed by his magic. Now, I have to separate the child and make him enter the potion. Hopefully I can extract Remus in the next hour or so and you can collect him too."

"Good. Summon me if you need me," the old man reminded him and called Fawkes to him. The phoenix arrived in a flash of flame and grasped his friend's shoulder to transport the headmaster to the Infirmary, taking the cauldron with them. As soon as Angelina stirred, she would be removed from the potion and allowed to start breathing again. By that time Remus should have been extracted and he could be with the little girl while she recovered.

Severus drew a deep breath, drank down a vial of fortified potion and went back into the cold and dank main chamber.

oo0oo

"I want Angel! Where is Angel, Uncle Remus? I have to find Angel!"

"Oh, my pet, don't!" Remus hushed, hugging the boy tightly. They had both slept for what felt like hours and Remus had woken up to the boy's distressed cries in the darkened room. "Angel is fine and you are, too. I know how scary this is for you but please don't fret so. It will all be over soon and you will have your own body when it's finished, trust me. You'll like that. You'll be able to play Quidditch with the boys and do all the things you want to do that Angel holds you back from at the moment. You'll like that, won't you?"

"But I can't find Angel! Is she alright? Where is Angel?"

"Angel is perfectly well," a new voice said gently and Severus stepped into the small circle of light the two had created for themselves. "It's time, Remus," he murmured then held out his arms to Linus. "Remus has to go now, so you come to me. I have something to show you, something just for you."

Remus let Linus go as reluctantly as Linus let him go, the boy taking the hand Severus offered and following the black clad figure out to where a large cauldron stood. It was not a very exciting sight but the boy seemed to find it interesting enough as Severus began to explain the ingredients that had gone into the potion that lay pale and sluggishly moving in the huge cauldron. Linus was always more interested in Severus' work than either Remus or Angelina and often watched and helped while his uncle brewed the simpler potions in his laboratory.

Knowing his part in this side of the experiment was over; Remus concentrated on moving his sluggish arms and legs, returning his spirit to his body and inducing himself to move. Voluntary movement on his part triggered the Portkey built into the gurney and he was instantly transported up to the infirmary wing, the wards snapping closed behind him, enfolding the last two souls in their protection. He gulped and groaned as hands eagerly helped pull him into a sitting position and a vial of fortifying potion was poured into his mouth. Every muscle protested until the potion had a chance to work, bringing almost instant relief in its wake.

Poppy and Albus peered down anxiously as the werewolf shivered and twitched involuntarily then he groaned and scrubbed at his face. Putting an arm around his shoulders, Albus helped Remus sit up and Poppy helped swing the small man's legs down from the gurney.

"Easy now, take it slowly. You have been out of your body for quite some time and it takes a little to get used to it again," Dumbledore cautioned as Remus forced himself to stand on his own two feet.

"I know, I know, but Angelina is starting to wake already and we have to get her out of the soup before she drowns," Remus insisted, staggering across to the cauldron and lifting the little girl's head out of the potion so she could breathe. "There, there, baby, you're alright. Hush now, don't cry so hard. Hush." Cooing and petting, Remus lifted the child out of the cauldron and wrapped her in the large, fluffy towel Poppy handed him. Brushing her wet hair aside, he kissed her forehead and settled on the rocking chair next to the bed to wait out the storm of weeping the little girl needed to indulge in.

"I can't find Linus," Angelina sobbed bitterly, clinging to her uncle as if she would never let go again.

"He is to have his own body now, remember? We talked about it and told you both what was going to happen, how you would wake up in a big cooking pot and then later, Uncle Severus would bring Linus out of his cooking pot and you could both play together but as two people instead of one body."

"But Linus is not here, in here." She pointed to her head with a shuddering sigh. "What if he never comes back?"

"Do you trust Uncle Severus? Yes, so do I, and if he says he will make Linus a new body then that is exactly what he will do, yes? Yes! Now don't fret any more, try to get a little sleep, okay?"

"Sing the cub song please, Uncle Remy, please."

The older people left the werewolf rocking and singing and comforting the tiny child huddled against his chest.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 39 – **_**Rebirth-day**_

Severus explained to the ghostly child spirit at his side that the potion contained bits of Linus all melted down and ready to rebuild into a Linus body. "Is it like making clay models?" Linus asked curiously.

"Yes, sort of. Do you remember when we were on holiday and we watched the ladies making candles? How they dipped the string into the wax and it came out fatter and fatter until it looked like a candle. Then they did the same with the wire shape and it came out as a bull fighter model? Good. Now what you have to do is hop into the potion and dip yourself down and pop up again and slowly you will model a figure around yourself so you will have a body too."

"But I don't want to be a candle," Linus protested glancing up.

Severus grinned, a genuine smile of sheer amusement. "Why not? You would make a fetching candle to stand on the mantle shelf," he teased and Linus giggled, not taking his uncle too seriously. "No, Child, if you use a human soul for the armature then you will make a human being, not a candle, I promise. So, do you want to do it? Are you ready? Good, in you hop."

"Lift me." The boy held out his arms and Severus picked him up, and gave him a firm hug before lowering him feet first into the now pleasantly warm soup. "It feels funny," Linus said, grinning up at his uncle who nodded and urged him to sit down now.

"Now, I want you to duck right under as if you were going swimming on the bottom of the pool again. Yes, like the time you scared Uncle Remy half to death." Severus smirked at the memory of Remus' panic when he thought the children were drowning in the swimming pool but didn't let it distract him. "Stay down as long as you can again. It's all right; Uncle Remy won't try and pull you out by the hair because he thinks you are drowning this time."

The child giggled again, completely trusting, and ducked under the surface, twisting and turning, enjoying the complete freedom of being submerged in the warm, almost gel-like potion. It was so soothing; Severus didn't have to cast a sleep spell over the child. Instead the traumatised little soul relaxed and sighed, drifting off to sleep in the deep primordial soup of DNA and nutrients that would consistently and automatically coalesce into a body around his soul.

Severus had no idea of how long he stood clutching the side of the cauldron staring down at the still, shimmery soul at the bottom of his potion. He had no idea when the potion started to coalesce around the soul but after what seemed like forever, and no time at all, the vague outlines of a skeleton became more solid. Before the framework of bone had finished solidifying, the organs of life began to show. Blood vessels like a fine lace body suit reached out to clothe muscle so finely grained it was a work of art in itself.

The miracle of life and growth unfolded as he watched, fine-grained skin creeping in a slow tide to veil the working organs from his sight. Features, hair, nails, eyebrows, eyelashes, creases, a couple of moles, and one or two freckles added small details to the long limbed, skinny bodied child who now lay in the bottom of the empty number thirty seven cauldron. Severus blinked grainy feeling eyes and stretched uneasily as he watched the child sleeping, until he realised the frail little chest did not move or breathe.

"Oh Merlin! Come on, Linus, up you come, and start breathing, you little idiot. Linus!" Severus gave him a slight shake then pinched the skin of his tummy viciously. For a second there was no response then the child gusted in a great breath to let out a high pitched squeak of indignation and batted at the hand that pinched. "Oh thank Gods!" Severus breathed, holding the boy close. He had learned Muggle CPR for just this occasion but he was so very glad he had not been forced to use it as he was not very confident in his newly acquired skills. "Can you talk to me, Linus?"

"I mu ffny," he muttered, the words slurred and poorly articulated.

"Yes, you will for a while, until you get used to being in control of your own body," Severus said factually, wiping the child's face with a finger. There was very little residue left from his immersion and Severus nodded in satisfaction. He hoped he had calculated enough potion quantity to make the body as big as it appeared when Linus controlled Angelinus and it looked like he had succeeded. He had also added a few extra litres just in case Linus was a little taller thanks to Severus' own DNA that he had snuck into the brew. Still holding the child in a fold of his robes, Severus Floo-ed out to the Infirmary where Remus and Angelina waited for them.

oo0oo

The little girl sat with her chin on her hands as she stared at the sleeping boy in the white hospital bed. It was very strange to actually see Linus with her eyes instead of with her mind. She had thought he would look just like her but he didn't, he looked more like Uncle Severus than anything else. That wasn't a bad thing because he was a boy after all, and he liked Uncle Severus more than he liked Uncle Remus. It used to be they liked both their uncles the same but now, since they had got their own bodies they had changed. She sighed again.

Linus couldn't walk either, or even talk or sit up or anything fun just yet. Madam Pomfrey said he had to learn just like a baby and all the strengthening potions Uncle Severus made for him would soon have him on his feet but still, it wasn't the same. Squirming deeper into the chair, Angel wrapped her hands around her drawn up knees and rocked on her tail bone a little. Yesterday Silky and Thorn had come by to see them, Silky climbing up on the bed beside Angel and they had both stared at Linus until he woke up but then he couldn't talk and Thorn had laughed at him. Angel had got into big trouble for hitting him in the nose and then he had talked funny to, prat! Served him right! Uncle Severus hadn't been pleased of course, but Uncle Remy had winked at her over Uncle Severus' shoulder so that had been okay.

The other kids had come, too, at different times, the Weasley horde as Uncle Severus called them and the Potter Progeny, too. It had been hard watching them stare at her brother like he was some sort of animal at the zoo but at the same time she was glad they had come to see her new brother. And she was upset that they had come to see her new brother and not her. It was all too hard, sometimes. She straightened as the still figure on the bed began to twitch and make moany noises.

"Linus, you awake?" she asked softly.

"Ye-ss," the boy said, making his mouth move much better than he had yesterday.

"You wanna drink of water?"

"Yess, peese,"

Angel giggled and grabbed the glass with the bendy straw just as Aunty Minnie had showed her. "You have to say the 'lu' sound in p-lu-eesss," she reminded him and giggled again when he stuck out his tongue. "Got to learn to talk all over again, you know?" Uncle Severus said you have to build up strength in your muscles 'cus they are like brand new ones, never been used before and that's why you are all floppy like a new baby."

Linus snorted and took another sip of water. That made sense, he supposed, after all he as brand-new all over. He wished his sister could still hear him though because he had a lot to tell her about candles and souls and wicks and stuff. He concentrated very hard and actually managed to push the cup away but spilled cold water all over himself in the process. Angel yelped then slapped him and he managed to give her a push too which pleased him a lot. He even managed to half turn over to see where she had slid off the bed but then Uncle Remy came in and began making a fuss. Angel made a couple of crying noises but they weren't real cries and Uncle Remus knew that, which made Linus smile. When Angel saw the smile she giggled back, her performance forgotten as she patted Uncle Remus and made him put her down again.

Uncle Remus shook his head and bent to gather the limp young boy up against his chest. "Come on, Linus, we've managed to bust you outta dis joint," he drawled in a very fake gangster accent that made both twins giggle. "We're going to take you down to the dungeons and torture you most thoroughly until you either plead for mercy or flee our clutches madly."

"You're not really going to torture him, are you?" Angel asked uncertainly, hopping and skipping along beside her uncle.

"Not really, Silly, although I think it is going to look a bit like real torture when we are helping Linus do his exercises. We have to teach his muscles how to work again and that means helping him learn to roll over, sit up, crawl and walk just like he was a baby all over again."

Linus made a protesting noise and Remus grinned down at him. "Oh, I don't think it will take too long, my lad. It's not like you had no idea of what to do, it's just your body that has to learn, not your mind. Severus thinks you will be running about madly in less than six weeks, right back to where you were before you were separated, provided you work hard," he added as they entered the dungeon suite that was home.

oo0oo

Grinning at his sister, Linus snatched the bean filled sack out of mid air before she could jump high enough to catch it.

"That's not fair!" Angel whined, hands digging firmly into hips as she scolded her brother.

"Why not fair?" he asked cocking an eyebrow in a very Snape-like way.

"I'm the girl, you're supposed to let me win, it's only gentlemanly," she insisted putting her nose in the air.

Linus snorted. "I would let ladies win but you are my sister so you have to try harder," he told her and ducked as she ran at him, whacking at his ears as he ducked and laughed, running away.

Severus shook his head as he skirted the squabbling, tussling siblings in the middle of the floor. It had taken quite some time for him to come to terms with the short, sharp squabbles that blew up out of nowhere between the twins and often degenerated into a wrestling match on the floor. They never seemed to hurt each other any more and usually there was no anger in their tussling so he had learned to turn a blind eye to the harmless arguments and step over them if they banged into his legs. Today however, he had some news and needed their attention.

"Children, I want you both to pay attention, now," he said at normal pitch, the tangle of arms and legs degenerating into two panting heaps, four very bright, laughing eyes staring up at him from tangles of blonde and dark hair. He shook his head and smothered a laugh at their flushed, tumbled appearances. "We are going to have to go to Snape Manor in three weeks time. Brian has finally asked formally for Sandy's hand in marriage and we have to meet his family to sort out the contracts which should be as much fun as a broken tooth."

For a second there was silence then both little bodies dissolved into giggles. "Oh, Uncle Sevvy, it won't be that bad!" Angel told him as she sat up and pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Perhaps not but it will require you both to be on your very best behaviour while the eyes of the Polite World are upon you, and don't call me Sevvy," he added, rolling his eyes when both twins mouthed the words in time to his protest. "Evil brats!"

Angel giggled and rolled to her feet, helping Linus up after her. He was still a little weak and sometimes had trouble with his balance but he was getting better every day. "Do we get to play dress-up? Can we wear fancy robes? Will there be cake and juice?"

Severus smiled indulgently. "Yes, fancy robes, cake and juice, but some sitting still and some curtseying and bowing will be required. Think you can manage that?"

"Maybe Grandma Molly can help us learn to curtsey and bow properly," Linus replied dubiously as Uncle Remus came in from class, bringing a whole bag of scrolls with him.

"Curtsey and bow for what?" Remus asked, buzzing his husband then his children with a quick pass on his way to the kitchen for a cup of tea.

"We're having a contract thing for Sandy and fancy robes and juice and cake and everything," Angel listed, bouncing over to her favourite uncle to hug him around the thighs, hobbling him very effectively.

Remus glanced across at Severus questioningly and was rewarded by a smirk of agreement. "Brian finally came up to scratch and his family is asking permission on the 24th. That means I have to play Head of Family, you are First Spouse, Linus is Heir Apparent and Angel is Heir Presumptive. We are going to give the Bridgewells a real show of Snape power and rub their noses in it hard and fast. They will really appreciate Sandy when I am finished with them."

"Ouch, who rattled your cage?" Remus teased lightly as he poured tea and juice for the family.

"Oh, just Brian being a complete idiot to Sandy one night and she was hurt so this will teach him not to take her for granted, Squib or not."

"Hmm, very well, we'll give him the full performance!"

oo0oo

The Snape house-elves went into a full tail-spin when their lord and maser asked them to clean and prepare the house for a contract ceremony. Every inch of the grand old home was scoured and _Scourgified_ to within an inch of its life. Rooms that had not seen the light of day since Severus' grandmother's wedding day were opened, aired, cleaned and freshened. Furniture was polished, hangings cleaned, floors scrubbed and walls repainted. Paintings and portraits were cleaned armour polished, rugs beaten and curtains shaken out. The great wine cellars under the house were carefully opened and certain barrels tapped ready for the ceremony. Food by the truckload was ordered in, the gardens picked and orchards plucked, beasts killed and birds plucked. Malfoy loaned their chef who was very flattered to be asked to supervise the creation of a feast that was going to be talked about for years to come.

Invitations, hand painted and drawn by the finest printers in Diagon Alley were sent out by owl, replies flooding in. Madam Malkin did a roaring trade in dress robes as anyone who was anyone decked themselves out in finery for the upcoming celebration.

Sandy arrived at Hogwarts a week early and ripped into Severus for his complete take-over of her simple request. "I cannot believe the fuss that has come about when all I asked was that you talk to Brian's father about our engagement," she stormed angrily, ignoring Remus and the children who still sat at the table their dinners growing cold in front of them.

"Do you remember about a year ago, how an indignant little girl said, and I quote, 'my sponsor is Severus Snape and he is my Head of Family, how do you like them apples?' The moral of the story is 'be careful what you wish for, you might get it.'"

"Augh!" Sandy groaned, grabbing her hair and pulling it in frustration. "You are completely mad, aren't you? And you are really enjoying this! Brian is so nervous he nearly called the whole thing off!"

"And the faint heart never won the fair lady. Oh, for Merlin's sake, Sandy, relax! His family will be lapping it up, every moment of pomp and ceremony! Did you read the ritual I sent you? Then you are prepared to do your part, prepared to be given into the Bridgewell family's care on pain of death, their death that is. That is what a contract ceremony is all about."

"Sandy, it's an engagement party," Remus chimed in, sliding a cup of tea across to the slightly distraught woman, a sympathetic smile curving his mouth. "Although I doubt he will ever admit it," he slanted his husband a sly look. "He is having a whale of a time planning this event, if only to rub the rest of the Families' noses in his ability to show them all up."

"This is just a game of one-up-man-ship to you, isn't it?" Sandy snapped, turning to face the smirking man at the head of the table.

"Partially, I must admit, but it is also a chance to introduce my husband and my Heirs to both the Family and to the rest of the pure-blood world; show them exactly what I have and what I hold dear to myself and to my succession. I rarely allow my connections to be seen by anyone but in this one event I am putting pure-bloods next to half-bloods, Muggle-borns, squibs, Muggles and magical creatures. Politicians will mix with Lords and ladies, scholars, school teachers, Aurors and public figures as well as perfectly ordinary people, school children, working folk and pensioners. For the first time ever a pure-blood ceremony will be witnessed by people other than pure-blood aristocrats and it will serve as fair warning that the world really is changing and evolving. Do you understand now?"

Remus looked flabbergasted and Sandy calculating as they studied the very Machiavellian figure who simply sipped his tea and smiled enigmatically at their silence.

"You really are a complete bastard," Sandy said in gleeful tones as she jumped up and kissed the surprised man on the cheek. "Good for you! So, what will I be wearing?"

"Molly Weasley will take you to Madam Malkin's tomorrow for a fitting. Molly may have married into the Weasleys but she was a Prewitt by birth and from one of the Light Families originally. She knows the drill and what is required of a maiden about to be contracted."

"A maiden?" Sandy questioned incredulously then burst out laughing. "Oh well, why not?" she grinned wickedly as both men turned slightly red at her glance.

oo0oo

The chair on the dais was a throne; there was no other description for it. A secondary throne stood beside it and two smaller chairs on the step below were equally richly decorated, gold and jewels glittering in the torch and sunlight. Draco Malfoy surveyed the scene from a vantage point on a balcony and grinned up at his godfather, shaking his head in resignation. "You really are going to rub their noses in it. A full ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance usually reserved for a Family Princess and all for a rather minor squib? Lord, your father and Grandfather would be spinning in their graves."

"It's just a show, a play for the masses. I met with Bridgewell senior this morning and got the contracts sorted out with the solicitors. This is for Remus and the kids, as well as to show appreciation for Sandy who brought the kids to us. I don't give a stuff about the elitist rituals people of our blood seem to hold dear and want to keep secret. As far as I am concerned, all the kids deserve any fuss and enjoyment they can get out of their marriages. I hope Sandy and Brian are very happy together and if this stupid ceremony helps promote that happiness with his family then it is a party well catered to."

Draco shook his head and grinned. "There are going to be some disgruntled people in other Houses tonight. Merlin, Sev, you managed to get the Minister of Magic, the Boy-Who-Lived, most of the living Order of the Phoenix, the Head Master of Hogwarts, the Head of the Clan of Arimusana as well as the Alpha of the Werewolves of Great Britain and Ireland all in one place at one time. I truly salute your cunning and planning. You really are the complete embodiment of Slytherin." Draco Malfoy bowed deeply and sincerely to the Head of Family Snape.

Severus Snape blinked then smiled as never before. "Why thank you Draco, no one has ever given me such an accolade before, ever."

oo0oo

The sealed, rolled scrolls were exchanged, the Masters of Rites witnessed vows exchanged and everyone clapped politely as the newly formed couple bowed and curtsied to the assembly before the musicians struck up a polite background tune and the very eclectic company began to mingle and circulate warily. By the end of the night much wine had been consumed, a lot of food had disappeared into very appreciative stomachs and new friendships and alliances had been tentatively explored. The Daily Prophet reported the next day that it had been the most successful contractual party even held in the history of Family Snape and for that Severus was very grateful. He hated to be on display like that but the party had served its purpose and now everyone was aware he had both an Heir and a back-up Heir, a husband who was a magical creature and friends in all walks of life, including the highest offices in the land. Mess with a Snape and you were asking for trouble!


	41. Epilogue

**Chapter 40 - **_**Epilogue**_

"Now, when the Master of Rites asks for the rings, you are to hand the cushion up so he can take them," Remus instructed once again as he knelt in front of the boy who stared back at him with dark brown eyes so like Severus' it was uncanny.

"Uncle Remus, we know, honest," a giggling voice to his left assured him and Angel kissed his cheek softly, mischievously tucking a rose petal into the collar of his formal robes.

"Do stop fussing, Remus, they will make us proud," Severus said grimly, staring down at the two children in front of them.

Totally unalike, the twins grinned back, ignoring his grim expression, used to his moods and fancies by now. Angel still looked very like her five year old self although she had grown a little over the last year and a half. Her honey blonde hair was elaborately styled in ringlets under a crown of rosebuds and baby breath. The gown she wore was reminiscent of a nymph's in floating green and bronze chiffon drapes caught with a belt of golden rings at the waist. She looked angelic as she carried the basket of flower petals to be strewn down the aisle at this very important wedding.

Linus had on formal robes in a darker green than his sister's dress, his long dark hair tied back in a ribbon like his uncle's. He was taller and darker than Angel, and thinner, bearing an uncanny resemblance to his Uncle Severus, everyone said. Not that he minded at all. His uncle looked like his Mum and that was all good. He hadn't wanted to be in Sandy's wedding but she had coaxed and pleaded and finally Uncle Severus had said it was probably required of him as Heir to attend these formal functions with something approaching aplomb and therefore it would be good practice. So here he was, practicing at being a ring bearer. At least Uncle Severus had prevailed in the matter of robes. Brian's mother wanted him to wear something like knee length satin shorts and a short satin jacket that made him look like a real prat! Uncle Severus had simply said formal robes or nothing! No one argued with Uncle Severus, even if the robes had to be green.

Sandy was marrying Brian who was alright really but that had caused some big arguments when everyone thought he and Angel were busy or asleep or just stupid. Brian's mother insisted on spelling words out that they weren't supposed to hear but they were being taught to read at school and they were both good at spelling.

One of the Bridgewell cousins had said something about Uncle Remus being an animal when Angel could hear and Angel had got into real trouble for smashing her in the face with a bony fist. But they didn't care. Nobody was hateful to Uncle Remus when they were around and that was for sure! Uncle Remus might be a werewolf once a month but he was the the kindest, gentlest man in the world the rest of the time and no-one called him names they were anywhere near and that was that! He'd also had to ask Uncle Severus what a D E A T H E A T I N G V A M P I R E was which made quite a few people blush and splutter as he had made sure the person who had spelled it out was within hearing. Uncle Severus knew exactly what he was doing and had raised an eyebrow before saying 'me' with a perfectly straight face. That made Uncle Remus growl and Uncle Draco laugh nastily but no one had made any rude remarks about either uncle again, or at least not where they could hear them.

So, here they were, all dressed up and waiting for the Master of Rites to perform the wedding ceremony that was even worse than the contract ceremony. Someone was making a remember-crystal for Sandy's parents who had flown out from Australia to be here for the big day. Both were Squibs and aware of the magic in the world but had never been shown so much as they had since they arrived. Uncle Severus had opened his manor to them and sent them on day trips to places all tourists had to see both, Mugle and Magical. He had made it a holiday they would always remember and Sandy had been really happy with all the efforts both uncles had made. Still, they were comfortable with it now and Sandy's father looked very proud as he led Sandy down the aisle behind them. That was one of the hard things they had to do, him and Angel had to go through the crowd first, leading the procession. Angel didn't mind but he did so he pretended he was Uncle Severus and put on a grim face which made a few of the women blink and a few of the men straighten up a bit as they passed. Uncle Severus was right; a good glare was a real asset!

Finally it was over and everyone was kissing and hugging everyone else. Freed from duty, the two of them hurried over to their uncles, Angel to hug Uncle Remus' leg, Linus to lean on Uncle Severus and be covered by his robe. That was just the way it always worked out, Remus was Angel's and Severus was his and they didn't have to fight about it at all. Safe and happy, Linus stayed close to Severus as Angel dragged Remus out to look at the cake and talk to people in the middle of the crowd.

"Glad it's over?" Severus asked the boy at his side quietly.

"Yeah, scary stuff," Linus replied laconically.

"Hmm, bloody weddings."

Linus agreed totally.

**The End**

**End Notes:** Hope you enjoyed Angelinus and once again, thank you to all those who wrote reviews, added it to their Favourite Stories list and me to their Authors list. Harry Cat is still in progress and I am in the midst of writing a story to fit between the end of the war and the beginning of Werewolves but it is slow going at the moment. I will be putting up some of the challenge fics I co-wrote with Zarathustra so they might prove interesting. Apart from that, that's all, Folks, as a certain pig used to cry. See you next time.

Regards

Les


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